Ontario’s integrity commissioner is being asked to widen his ongoing Greenbelt investigation to include Premier Doug Ford’s personal cellphone, Global News has learned, amidst allegations he is using the device “intentionally to avoid accountability.”
The Ontario NDP sent the commissioner a new letter on Tuesday, requesting an investigation into how Ford communicates with members of the government and external stakeholders looking to do business with the Ontario government.
The request, the NDP letter states, is directly related to a Global News investigation into Ford’s use of a private cellphone to conduct government business.
“The Premier was not using his government-issued phone for at least a full week in November 2022, raising concerns that he is using a personal phone intentionally to avoid accountability through the Freedom of Information process,” the letter reads.
Global News reported how Ford gave his phone number to stakeholders at the Empire Club in June, one example of the premier using his personal phone number as part of his brand of retail politics.
Staff confirmed the phone number Ford gave out at the Empire Club was his personal device. Officials have refused to release its records to Global News through a freedom of information request.
Global News is in the midst of appealing the decision, which is currently being overseen by an adjudicator.
The province’s ethics watchdog has been conducting a months-long investigation into whether Housing Minister Steve Clark breached ethics rules over the decision to open select portions of the Greenbelt for development — benefiting a handful of Ontario developers, some of whom have donated directly to Premier Doug Ford.
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As part of that probe, J. David Wake said his office has asked “government and non-government sources” to provide documents and planned to interview “numerous witnesses” to determine whether developers were tipped off about the government’s Greenbelt changes before they were made public.
The NDP is now asking Wake’s office to go further and consider information raised by the auditor general and Global News.
The NDP complaint points to the Ontario auditor general’s special report, which revealed that staff within the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing were using personal email accounts for government business and that emails were “regularly” being deleted by political staff.
The auditor general noted that the use of private email and private devices contravened the Ontario Public Service guidebook which outlines that “using non government resources” for government work is not allowed.
“These facts demonstrate the government’s pervasive disregard for transparency and proper record-keeping practices,” the NDP complaint read.
The NDP is asking the integrity commissioner to review telecommunications between Premier Ford and Minister Steve Clark, as well as Ford’s use of his private cell phone during the Greenbelt decision-making process.
The integrity commissioner confirmed to Global News it had received the NDP’s letter and said its investigation was ongoing. There is no date yet for its release, which will take place once the report is finished.
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