Greenbelt scandal: Former AG reflects on investigation that rocked the Ford government
Global News
The government's 2022 decision to allow development on 15 parcels of Greenbelt land triggered controversy after two independent investigations revealed how events unfolded.
Ontario’s former auditor general Bonnie Lysyk believes Premier Doug Ford is “ultimately responsible” for the controversial decision to open protected Greenbelt land for development, as she reflects on the release of her bombshell report one year later.
The government’s decision in the fall of 2022 to allow development on 15 parcels of Greenbelt land triggered a tidal wave of controversy after two independent investigations revealed how events unfolded and determined the haphazard, hasty process dealt in “deception” and gave certain developers “preferential treatment.”
Reports from the auditor general and integrity commissioner led to the resignation of then-housing minister Steve Clark, several senior staff in the Ford government and triggered an RCMP investigation that continues to this day.
While the premier fiercely defended the decision to remove 7,400 acres of land from the Greenbelt, replacing it with 9,400 acres elsewhere, Ford eventually caved to political pressure, reversed the decision and apologized to Ontarians.
Lysyk told Global News that while “scope limitations” prevented her office from determining who masterminded the scheme, she believes political decision-makers — including the premier — shoulder the responsibility.
“Ultimately, responsibility for any action or any decision falls with the government, cabinet, the premier, and the ministers,” Lysyk said in a one-on-one interview with Global News. “At the end of the day, if you’re the leader of an organization and something goes amiss you’re ultimately responsible.”
Lysyk’s report, which put the government’s developer-friendly decision-making in the spotlight, was released on Aug. 9, 2023.
Ahead of the one-year anniversary, Global News sat down with the former auditor general to talk about the report and its impact.
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