- By Nadine Yousif
- BBC News, Toronto
2 hours ago
image source, Getty Images
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s decision to release protected land for development has drawn significant backlash
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has launched a criminal investigation into a land deal brokered by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his government.
The Greenbelt land swap aimed to free up parts of an environmental protection area near Toronto for development.
It was scrapped in September after an ethics report found that Mr Ford’s government “favored certain developers” in the deal.
Mr Ford said his government would “fully cooperate” with police.
The criminal investigation into the Greenbelt deal was announced by the RCMP on Tuesday. The federal police said the matter was being handled by its sensitive and international investigations department, which handles political investigations into fraud, corruption and breach of trust.
It added that it would not provide further details about the nature of the investigation to ensure a “fair and orderly” outcome.
“While we recognize that this investigation is of significant interest to Canadians, the RCMP has a duty to protect the integrity of the investigations it conducts,” Cpl Christy Veenstra said in a statement.
It’s the latest development in a political scandal surrounding the Ontario government’s plan to release 3,000 hectares of the Greenbelt – environmentally protected land that surrounds the Greater Toronto Area and stretches from Niagara Falls to Peterborough.
Experts countered this, saying there was enough room for development outside the protected green belt, which includes farmland, forests and wetlands. The plan also faced strong opposition from environmentalists.
The revelations led the opposition Ontario Liberal Party to call for a formal investigation into the deal to see whether certain developers were informed about it in advance and who will benefit if the land is released for development.
They also found that the owners of the newly released properties for development could increase their net worth by more than 8.3 billion Canadian dollars ($6.11 billion; £4.97 billion).
In early September, both Ontario’s housing minister, Steve Clark, and his former chief of staff, Ryan Amato, resigned over the revelations. The investigation revealed that Mr. Amato had played a key role in the Greenbelt plan.
Another minister, Kaleed Rasheed, resigned later in September after media reports revealed that he had traveled to Las Vegas at the same time as one of the developers who benefited from the Greenbelt deal.
“We acted too quickly and made the wrong decision,” he said. “This process left too much room for some people to benefit from others. It caused people to question our motives.”
As part of the investigation, Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk shared her revelations with police to consider whether a criminal investigation was warranted.
Mr. Ford has maintained that there was no criminal wrongdoing. On Tuesday, his office said he fully intends to cooperate with the investigation.
“We have no tolerance for misconduct of any kind and expect everyone involved in decision-making on Greenbelt lands to abide by the letter of the law,” Mr. Ford’s office said in a statement to the media.