Ford must be held accountable for Greenbelt misconduct

February 13, 2023

QUEEN'S PARK — QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to continued reports about the inappropriate presence of Greenbelt-linked developers at events related to Doug Ford’s daughter’s wedding.

“Let’s be clear. Developers who stand to benefit from the government’s Greenbelt land swaps attended multiple Ford family events and gave money to Doug Ford’s family members. They sat at his own table during his daughter’s wedding.

We cannot accept this kind of behaviour from Ontario’s Premier. It undermines trust and confidence in the government.

No one who stands to benefit from government decisions should be giving money to the Premier’s family members. Full stop.

Ford should understand this.

It doesn’t matter that these were private events, that the developers in question may or may not be Doug Ford’s personal friends, or that the integrity commissioner found no conflict of interest based on the limited information Ford’s own office provided after the fact.

The people of Ontario should be able to trust their elected officials to make decisions that are in the public interest. It’s the foundation of a functional democracy.

Ford has betrayed the public trust, destroyed public confidence in the government and eroded the integrity of the Premier’s office. He must be held accountable for his actions.

And that begins by repealing Bill 23 and cancelling the government’s Greenbelt land deals.”

-30-