Officers with the RCMP have begun interviewing people who work or have worked in Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office, the government says, as a police investigation into the government’s Greenbelt land swap gathers pace.
The premier’s office said in a statement Friday that they had “always said we would cooperate” with the RCMP’s investigation into the land swap of the environmentally-protected lands.
“That cooperation would include the premier and current or former staff conducting interviews as witnesses, which are currently underway,” a spokesperson for Ford’s office said.
The RCMP’s investigation was triggered after two watchdog reports last summer into the Ford government’s decision to remove 7,400 acres of protected land from the Greenbelt and allow homes to be built there.
Reports from the auditor general and the integrity commissioner raised concerns about how the decision would benefit some developers and how the chaotic internal process had been conducted.
The Ontario Provincial Police, which initially opened up a file on the Greenbelt, kicked up the investigation to the RCMP, citing a desire to avoid a perception of conflict of interest.
Ford told reporters in Thunder Bay on Friday his government has “nothing to hide.”
“I’ve always said we’re cooperating with them. We have nothing to hide, come in and do whatever you have to do,” he said.
“I want full cooperation, they know that because there’s nothing to hide there. Let’s get going on it.”
Auditor general probe raises questions
The auditor general’s investigation, published exactly one year ago on Friday, found that certain developers may have received “preferential treatment” as the government worked to open up parts of the Greenbelt.
Her report, followed by a similarly stinging investigation from the integrity commissioner, led to the resignation of then-housing minister Steve Clark, among several high-profile departures.
The plan to remove land from the Greenbelt was first articulated, the auditor general found, in Premier Ford’s 2022 mandate letter to Clark, which appeared to give the minister a tight timeline.
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“In fall 2022, complete work to codify processes for swaps, expansions, contractions and policy updates for the Greenbelt,” the mandate letter said.
“In addition, conduct a comprehensive review of the mandate of the Greenbelt Council and Greenbelt Foundation. This should include a comprehensive plan to expand and protect the Greenbelt.”
The report found the process that followed was rushed and chaotic, with most decisions made by a tiny team, sworn to secrecy and given just three weeks to complete their work.
The auditor general also discovered that certain developers advocated for their land to be removed by providing site-specific information in paper envelopes to senior staff in the Ford government while others handed over files on USB keys, long before the public was made aware.
Ultimately, Bonnie Lysyk — auditor general until last year — calculated that the 15 parcels of land removed from the Greenbelt would see their value rise by $8.3 billion once they were cleared for development.
“I think the circumstances create a perception that certain developers were more in the know than perhaps other developers in the province of Ontario,” Lysyk recently told Global News.
Police look at Greenbelt decision
In the background, Ontario Provincial Police also said they had received requests to investigate. At the beginning of 2023, a spokesperson said the anti-rackets branch “continues to review” information relating to the Greenbelt land swap.
Months after the auditor general and integrity commissioner reports — which came in August 2023 — the RCMP took over the file.
On Oct. 10, 2023, it was announced that the RCMP’s Sensitive and International Investigations Unit would lead the investigation.
A description of the unit on the RCMP’s website says its officers look into allegations of financial crimes like fraud, corruption and procurement. The website also says the unit looks at illegal lobbying activity and investigates elected officials.
The RCMP has not commented on the investigation since then, claiming doing so could impact the integrity of the investigation. The government and civil service have been similarly tight-lipped.
Global News asked the Cabinet Office, which bridges the gap between the civil service and the political side of government, whether the Mounties had visited the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing offices or whether any information had been shared with investigators.
“Ontario public service staff cooperate with all law enforcement investigations and will continue to do so. Out of respect for the RCMP process we will not be commenting any further,” a cabinet office spokesperson told Global News in May.
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Lysyk, who handled much of the sensitive evidence related to the Greenbelt including emails and interviews, said she has not been approached by any policing agency.
Global News asked Lysyk whether the material she gathered through her legislative powers could be shared with police. She said police “usually want to go to the source of information” and suggested she would “just indicate to them” where to access it.
“They have to go reaffirm their own evidence,” Lysyk added. “So (the investigation) will be taking them back to the primary people that were involved in the process.”
Opposition Leader Marit Stiles said in a statement Friday Ontarians deserve a government “that isn’t under criminal investigation,” while Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said it was a “sad day for the people of Ontario, who deserve and need so much more than a government embroiled in criminal investigation.”
— with files from Aaron D’Andrea
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