QUEEN’S PARK – Media reports confirm that the RCMP has launched a criminal investigation into the Ford government’s $8.3 billion Greenbelt land swap. Leader of the Official Opposition NDP Marit Stiles, whose requests launched the Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner investigations into this corruption scandal, issued the following statement:
“Now we have a Premier under criminal investigation and a government that is spiraling out of control.
It is absolutely shameful that under Premier Ford’s leadership this government has appeared to have acted so improperly that the RCMP was compelled to launch an investigation.
Times are tough for a lot of people right now, and instead of helping them, this government has made it worse.
For over a year, sign after sign pointed towards a cash-for-access culture of corruption and collusion at the heart of how this government makes decisions, putting private interests of a select few of their insiders ahead of everyone else. I hope that this investigation will get us even more answers.
The Premier and members of his government must fully comply with the RCMP about what exactly happened here.”
Stiles has previously requested the Information & Privacy Commissioner to preserve government emails and phone records related to this matter. The Auditor General has also confirmed that, upon Stiles’ request, they are looking into the Ford Conservatives’ overuse of MZOs.