![RCMP launches investigation into Ford government Greenbelt landswap](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023101013100-652583b7e49ee7aeb23b6667jpeg-1.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&w=720&h=379&crop=1)
RCMP launches investigation into Ford government Greenbelt landswap
Global News
The federal police announced its investigation in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, saying it will be led by its Sensitive and International Investigations Unit.
The RCMP has formally launched an investigation into the Ford government’s decision to open parts of Ontario’s Greenbelt up for development after the potential probe was handed over by provincial police officers.
The federal police announced its investigation in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, saying it will be led by its Sensitive and International Investigations Unit.
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 province removed 7,400 acres of land from the Greenbelt last year as part of its broader push to build 1.5 million homes by 2031, while adding land elsewhere. The swap triggered a public outcry and investigations from two legislative watchdogs.
One of the investigations concluded developers who owned land removed from the Greenbelt saw their property value increase by $8.3 billion. Both watchdog reports described a rushed process that allowed developers to influence which parcels of land were removed.
The fallout led to the resignation of the province’s housing minister, another cabinet member and senior political staffers at Queen’s Park.
In September, Premier Doug Ford announced he would reverse the decision and return all removed lands to the Greenbelt. He accepted the process had been flawed and apologized.
In a statement released soon after federal police confirmed their investigation, the premier’s office said it expected everyone involved in the Greenbelt process to cooperate with police.