The Greenbelt Scandal: Ontario’s Greenbelt email-gate scandal nabs national lack of transparency award

The CAJ is Canada’s largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing members across the country. The CAJ’s primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy. (Canadian Association of Journalists)

Ontario’s Greenbelt email-gate scandal nabs national lack of transparency award

Doug Ford’s Ontario government has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the provincial Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy for its continued failure to prevent senior employees from using their personal email accounts to also conduct public business.

Doug Ford: Quite possibly the most corrupt politician in Canada ever?

Background: The Greenbelt Scandal

1. Greenbelt Land Swap

   • Ontario’s government, under Premier Doug Ford, removed about 7,400 acres of land from the protected Greenbelt in 2022 to allow housing development, despite earlier promises not to touch it.

   • The move was criticized for favoring certain developers, some of whom had ties to the Progressive Conservative Party.

2. Auditor General & Integrity Commissioner Reports

   • A scathing report from Ontario’s Auditor General (2023) found the selection process was biased, with some developers gaining billions in increased land value.

   • The Integrity Commissioner also found then-Housing Minister Steve Clark violated ethics rules by failing to oversee the process properly.

3. RCMP Investigation

   • Due to potential misconduct, the RCMP launched an investigation into the Greenbelt dealings (still ongoing as of 2024).

In Nov. 2024, the Toronto Star reported that a senior Ford government staffer implicated in Ontario’ Greenbelt scandal refused to hand over emails that may have been sent from a personal email account to other government staffers and lobbyists interested in developing the protected land.

Doug Ford’s alleged ‘Federal Accomplice’ — newly elected Prime Minter of Canada Mark Carney

Carney & Ford were caught by paparazzi making some fishy ‘DEAL’  in secret (it’s suspicious because they never announce what were they discussing, and why would Carney met with Canada’s most ‘corrupt’ politician in such a suspicious setting if there is nothing fishing about their relationship?

The “Email-Gate” Scandal

• Deleted Emails Controversy

  • Key government staffers, including Ryan Amato (Clark’s chief of staff), were found to have deleted emails related to the Greenbelt decision.

  • Critics accused the government of a cover-up, as freedom-of-information requests turned up missing records.

• Lack of Transparency Award

  • The scandal earned Ontario’s government a “national lack of transparency award” from a Canadian journalism or watchdog group (exact organization depends on the source).

  • The award satirically “honors” governments or officials for obstructing public accountability.

This year’s Code of Silence jury found this violation of Ontario’s Freedom of Information laws was particularly egregious in light of the fact that Bonnie Lysyk, Ontario’s Auditor General, stipulated in an August 2023 report that using non-governmental resources to conduct official government business was unacceptable.

The staffer at the centre of the controversy resigned from his position after the Auditor General’s report found he did not abide by the best practices provided to bureaucrats.

“Communication between lobbyists and political staff using their personal email accounts also creates the perception of preferential access and treatment, and thereby an unfair advantage to those receiving unauthorized confidential information from political staff,” Lysyk wrote in her report.

Doug Ford’s alleged ‘Municipal Accomplice’ Mayor Chow of the City of Toronto

Birds of same feathers flock together? Both Ford and Chow have been spotted partying regularly like BFFs of late?

Fallout & Reversals

• Public Outcry & Legal Challenges

  • Widespread backlash led to two ministers resigning (Steve Clark and Kaleed Rasheed).

  • Multiple municipalities and environmental groups launched lawsuits.

• Ford Government Reverses Decision

  • In September 2023, facing mounting pressure, Ford announced a full reversal, restoring Greenbelt protections. However, damage to trust in the government remained.

James L. Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University said having the Premier of Ontario and his staff conduct public business from personal devices and accounts flies in the face of current FOI laws.

“This all undermines public rights to information under Ontario freedom of information legislation,” said Turk. “Emails by one Ford government executive on his personal account may hold some answers to the Greenbelt controversies, but the government has claimed they have no ‘legal mechanism’ to compel return of the messages when the practice was exposed – conveniently keeping the emails hidden from public scrutiny.”

Key Takeaways

• The scandal underscored lack of transparency in Ontario’s land-use decisions.

• The “email-gate” aspect highlighted concerns over government record-keeping and accountability.

• The national “award” was a symbolic critique of opaque governance practices.

1. RCMP Probe: Criminal Investigation into Greenbelt Dealings

Why the RCMP Got Involved

• The Ontario Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner’s reports (2023) raised red flags about preferential treatment of certain developers.

• Evidence suggested some developers bought Greenbelt land shortly before the policy change, implying possible insider knowledge.

• Deleted emails and lack of documentation fueled suspicions of a cover-up.

Key Focus of the Investigation

• Potential Fraud & Breach of Trust: Whether officials or developers engaged in corrupt practices, such as leveraging political connections for profit.

• Obstruction of Justice: The deletion of government emails (including by Ryan Amato, Clark’s chief of staff) could amount to destruction of records.

• Developer Connections: Scrutiny of meetings and communications between government staff and developers like Silvio De Gasperis (TACC Developments) and Michael Rice (Rice Group).

Status of the Probe (As of 2024)

• The RCMP confirmed the investigation is ongoing but has not laid charges.

• Slow progress due to the complexity of tracing deleted records and establishing criminal intent.

• If charges are filed, they could include municipal corruption, fraud, or obstruction.

2. Political Fallout: Resignations, Reversals, and Repercussions

Key Resignations

• Steve Clark (Housing Minister): Resigned in September 2023 after the Integrity Commissioner found he failed to oversee the corrupt process.

• Kaleed Rasheed (Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery): Stepped down after reports linked him to a Vegas meeting with developers during the Greenbelt review.

• Ryan Amato (Clark’s Chief of Staff): The “fall guy” who hand-picked lands for removal; resigned amid backlash.

Policy Reversal

• In September 2023, Ford announced a full reversal of Greenbelt land removals, admitting the process “moved too fast.”

• The U-turn was seen as damage control ahead of potential election fallout.

Public and Institutional Backlash

• Media & Watchdog Criticism: The government was mocked with the “lack of transparency award” (likely from groups like the Canadian Association of Journalists or Democracy Watch).

• Legal Challenges:

  • Environmental groups (e.g., Ecojustice) sued over violations of Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights.

  • Auditor General’s Legacy: The report permanently damaged Ford’s credibility on environmental issues.

• Polling Hits: Ford’s approval ratings dropped sharply in 2023, with the Greenbelt scandal cited as a major factor.

Long-Term Consequences

• Erosion of Trust: The scandal reinforced perceptions of a developer-friendly government operating opaquely.

• 2026 Election Risk: The Progressive Conservatives now face a vulnerability on corruption and transparency issues.

• Broader Accountability Reforms: Calls for stricter lobbying rules and better FOI protections have grown.

The “Email-Gate” Angle

• The deletion of emails became a symbol of the government’s secrecy.

• Ontario’s Freedom of Information (FOI) system was criticized as broken, with requests delayed or denied.

• The scandal mirrors other transparency failures (e.g., Ontario’s COVID-era nursing home records).

Key Questions Still Unanswered

1. Will the RCMP charge anyone? (If so, it could trigger a bigger crisis for Ford.)

2. Did developers directly influence staffers like Amato?

3. Will Ford’s team face further resignations if the probe expands?

This year’s Code of Silence jury also agreed to bestow a dishonourable mention on thirteen Saskatchewan ministries who disregarded a decision by the province’s Information Commissioner to have records released in a machine-readable format to The Globe and Mail as part of its Secret Canada project.

The Saskatchewan government has said it provided all the records requested, subject to exemptions and was “not considering changes to the province’s access to information legislation.”

The Code of Silence Awards are presented annually by the CAJ, the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University (CFE), and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). The awards call public attention to government or publicly-funded agencies that work hard to hide information to which the public has a right to under access to information legislation.

Last year, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston was recognized as the provincial Code of Silence winner for his office’s punting of promises to empower the province’s information and privacy commissioner.

The remaining 2024 Code of Silence Awards will be handed out bi-weekly. This year’s winner in the municipal category will be announced on May 14.

Ontarians, brace for more corruption?