Ontario

The RCMP announced Tuesday it has launched a criminal investigation into Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s plan to open up Greenbelt land for development.

“Following a referral from the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP O Division’s Sensitive and International Investigations (SII) unit has now launched an investigation into allegations associated to the decision from the Province of Ontario to open parts of the Greenbelt for development,” RCMP Cpl. Christy Veenstra said in a statement Tuesday.

It added that no further updates will be provided at this time to ensure that the investigation process leads to a “fair and proper” outcome.

Given the state of Canadian politics, it’s rare to find myself bothered by a politician’s resignation. In fact, it’s usually the opposite — the list of elected officials I think should resign for a variety of screw ups grows ever longer.

However, I was upset at the news of now-former Ontario minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development Monte McNaughton’s departure for a private sector job.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will be reversing its Greenbelt land swap decision and won’t make changes to the Greenbelt in the future.

The premier said he broke a promise when he decided to open the Greenbelt for housing development.

A person is allowed to change their mind but this whole deal was “Old Boy Sketchy” from the start.

The RCMP said Wednesday it has received a referral from provincial police in Ontario to “investigate irregularities” in the Ford government’s controversial Greenbelt land swap.

“We will review and assess the information received and will take appropriate action as deemed necessary,” an RCMP spokesperson said in an email.

“As the investigation is in its infancy and is ongoing, we decline to offer any further comments.”

Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives “favoured certain developers” in a controversial Greenbelt land swap that could make the landowners $8.28 billion, the auditor general says.

In a searing 93-page report to the legislature Wednesday, Bonnie Lysyk found Ford’s opening up of 7,400 acres of environmentally protected land last fall “cannot be described as a standard or defensible process.”

Premier Doug Ford may be sailing along this summer, but storm clouds are forming for his Progressive Conservatives, a new Abacus Data poll suggests.

While Abacus found Ford’s Progressive Conservatives at 41 per cent support compared to 24 per cent for the leaderless Liberals, 23 per cent for Marit Stiles’s NDP and seven per cent for Mike Schreiner’s Greens, there are ominous signs for the governing party.

One of the myths about Ontario Premier Doug Ford — fuelled largely by public sector unions — is that his Progressive Conservative government is slashing and burning public spending.

In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite is true.

h/t Mauser

Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives are under fire after former provincial bureaucrat Sanjay Madan was able to steal $47.4 million in taxpayers’ money.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles is demanding to know how Madan could dupe the Tories and the previous Liberal government between 2011 and 2020.

“Where was the government — both the Liberals and the Conservatives — when (almost) $50 million of government funding went out the door?” Stiles thundered Wednesday.

Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy unveiled a budget on Thursday that he says shores up the province for uncertain economic times, while still managing to balance the books in 2024-25, offer new tax breaks to manufacturers, speed up planned cash for home care and add funding for supportive housing.

Oh Oh… No big cash injection for Toronto in Ontario budget

It wasn’t the budget Toronto was hoping for.

Despite months of pleading from city leaders, the $204.7-billion provincial spending plan released by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy on Thursday didn’t include the major funding injection the municipality says it needs to shore up its COVID-battered accounts.