Ford: Canada police probe Doug Ford land deal

The RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has initiated a criminal investigation into a land transaction that Premier Doug Ford and his administration facilitated.

The Greenbelt land transfer aimed to facilitate the development of portions of an ecologically protected region near Toronto.

A September ethics report determined that Mr. Ford’s administration “favoured certain developers” in the transaction, which led to its cancellation.

According to Mr. Ford, the government will “fully cooperate” with the authorities.

The RCMP announced the criminal investigation about the Greenbelt agreement on Tuesday. It will be handled by the Sensitive and International Investigations unit of the federal police force, which conducts political investigations involving fraud, corruption, and breach of trust.

The statement further stated that to guarantee a “fair and proper” resolution, it would not divulge any additional information regarding the investigation’s characteristics.

“While we recognise that this investigation is of significant interest to Canadians, the RCMP has a duty to protect the integrity of the investigations that it carries out,” Cpl Christy Veenstra added in a statement.

Canada police probe Doug Ford land deal.

It is the most recent development in a political scandal involving the Ontario government’s proposal to open up 3,000 hectares of the Greenbelt, which stretches from Peterborough to Niagara Falls and is a protected territory encircling the Greater Toronto Area.

Ford, a Progressive Conservative, had previously made a solemn commitment to refrain from activities on the Greenbelt after his inauguration in 2018.

However, after his re-election in 2022, he recanted his pledge and asserted that the Greenbelt’s opening is imperative to facilitate the construction of additional dwellings in Ontario, where the housing crisis is escalating.

In contrast, authorities have asserted that sufficient land is available for development beyond the Greenbelt’s protected areas, comprising wetlands, forests, and agriculture. Moreover, environmental advocates vehemently opposed the proposal.

Subsequent news investigations unveiled that significant portions of the land involved in the transaction are under the ownership of developers who make substantial contributions to the Progressive Conservative party in Ontario. Furthermore, it was discovered that some of these developers had acquired the land after Mr. Ford assumed office.

Inviting one of the developers to attend the matrimonial rites of Mr. Ford’s daughter in 2022 has prompted inquiries regarding the deal’s potential involvement in conflicts of interest.

Canada police probe Doug Ford land deal.

In response to the revelations, the opposition New Democratic Party in Ontario demanded a formal investigation into the transaction to determine who stands to benefit if the land is made available for development and whether specific developers were informed beforehand.

Two investigations conducted in August—one by the integrity commissioner and one by Ontario’s auditor general—determined that the Greenbelt agreement resulted from a “biassed” process influenced by senior political staff who favored particular developers.

Additionally, they discovered that the fresh-to-be-developed land could increase the proprietors’ net worth by over C$8.3 billion ($6.11 billion; £4.97 billion).

Steve Clark, the housing minister of Ontario, and Ryan Amato, his former chief of staff, both tendered their resignations in early September in response to the revelations. According to the investigations, Mr. Amato was instrumental in the Greenbelt proposal.

After the development mentioned above, Kaleed Rasheed, a minister, tendered his resignation in late September after media reports exposing his concurrent visit to Las Vegas with a developer who stood to gain financially from the Greenbelt agreement.

Mr. Ford renounced the Greenbelt plan the following day, on September 21, and apologized for breaching his prior commitment to prevent the development of environmentally protected land.

“We moved too quickly and we made the wrong decision,” he commented. “This process allowed an excessive amount of advantage to accrue to a select few at the expense of others.” It prompted individuals to doubt our intentions.

Bonnie Lysyk, Ontario’s auditor general, communicated her findings with police as part of the investigation to determine whether a criminal investigation was warranted.

Mr. Ford has maintained that there was no illicit activity. His office announced on Tuesday that he intends to cooperate completely with the investigation.

Mr. Ford’s office issued the following statement to the media: “We have zero tolerance for any wrongdoing and expect all parties involved in the decision-making process regarding the Greenbelt lands to have adhered to the letter of the law.”

While the precise details of the RCMP’s investigation into the transaction remain undisclosed, prior police inquiries into legislators from Ontario have led to criminal prosecution and incarceration.

SOURCE – (BBC)