Why it's getting harder for Doug Ford to sidestep blame for Greenbelt scandal
CBC
Premier Doug Ford has long insisted that he and his office was not involved in picking which Greenbelt and rural properties to approve for housing development, but there's growing evidence calling that claim into question.
The narrative from Ford and his officials since early August has been that all blame for both the Greenbelt debacle and the government's moves to force cities to sprawl lies with the former housing minister Steve Clark and his top political staffer.
But newly revealed government documents show the premier's office was directly interested in the status of certain parcels of land and that Ford himself met with a developer on the very topic of removing his land from the Greenbelt.
Despite that, Ford is doubling down on the denials.
"I had nothing to do with the changes in the Greenbelt," Ford said Tuesday during his first news conference in nearly six weeks, at a gas station in Etobicoke.
Ford also denied he was involved in any changes the government imposed on municipalities that boosted the value of rural properties and said he can't remember meeting a developer about approving his Greenbelt land for housing.
Here's what the paper trail shows:
During Tuesday's news conference, reporters questioned Ford about these new revelations.
"I don't even have a clue which land you're talking about," he said when asked why his political staff were concerned about the Nobleton properties.
"You're asking me to remember what I did or said two years ago, I can't," Ford said when asked about his Greenbelt meeting with the Hamilton developer.
The newly released documents matter because they appear to suggest that political staff in Ford's office were directly involved in at least some of the government's 2022 decisions to greenlight certain properties for development.
WATCH | 'I had nothing to do with the changes in the Greenbelt': Ford
That prompts the question: Were Ford's hand-picked political staff acting alone, or were they acting on the wishes of the premier?
"The rot goes all the way to the top," said Marit Stiles, leader of the Ontario NDP. "These documents make it more clear than ever that all roads lead to the premier."
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