Premier Ford’s Greenbelt Scandal Will Not and Should Not Fade Away
This is not the first time Ford has exploited the powers of his Office for the benefit of…. Well, not us!
Let’s put Doug Ford’s Greenbelt fiasco into perspective.
We’ll get into the disgraceful and partisan politics of Ford’s latest abuse of the immense power of his political office, but first, a quick trip down memory lane. This is not the first time Ford has exploited the office of Premier of Ontario for the benefit of…. Well, not us!
It started shortly after his ascension to power as Premier, when he arbitrarily decided to slash the size of Toronto City Council, which just happened to eliminate the Council seats of many of those Councilors who opposed Ford’s brother, Rob Ford, during his time as Mayor.
Then, there was Ford’s attempt to install a new OPP Commissioner…
A good friend of Ford wanted the job, but did not meet the qualifications for the job. So, Ford simply changed the rules to allow his friend to qualify. I’m not making this stuff up!
The public outcry was so intense that the applicant withdrew, but Ford was unwilling to accept any culpability in that fiasco.
So, it should come as no surprise that Ford, once again, has tried to distance himself from the partisan and possibly illegal attempt to give some of his major financial supporters access to parcels of the designated Greenbelt lands under the false premise that these lands were “absolutely necessary” to address the housing shortage in this province.
It’s worth noting that Ford’s own, hand-selected task force told us that there was more than enough available land for housing without ever touching the Greenbelt, but Ford ignored that expert advice and, instead, pandered to the wishes of Developers. Specifically, the ones who’d made substantial contributions to the Ontario PC Party.
(And to all those journalists and arm-chair pundits who still choose to defend Ford and dismiss the controversy by claiming, “they just want to build homes”… Land developers are not necessarily home builders. They are land speculators. Most are looking to “flip” the land to make a profit. For example, recently, when one of the developers who benefited from Ford’s Greenbelt reversal was granted access to its land near Pickering. They had it rezoned, and within days, put it back on the market for much higher value.)
Recent reports from the Auditor General and the Ethics Commissioner offer substantive evidence that the Premier and the Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister are guilty of severe breaches of Ontario law and now, the RCMP are investigating potential legal charges against the Ford government.
A junior staffer has resigned and the Premier and the Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister want us to believe that this guy was the architect of this far-reaching abuse of power.
We all know, that is a load of crap.
Nothing of this magnitude, involving billions of dollars, and a reversal of the Premier’s own promise to leave the Greenbelt intact, gets rubber-stamped without the knowledge and permission of the Premier.
Is this whole ugly process unethical and possibly illegal? Absolutely!
This goes well beyond partisan politics.
Is this the kind of government and the kind of abuse of leadership that Ontario voters are comfortable with? Don’t we deserve a higher standard from all of our leaders? Well, unfortunately, it seems higher standards don’t seem to be in the purview of politicians until we, the voters, demand it of them… So, how angry are you?
(PS: If Ford doesn’t hear from you, he thinks you’re alright with this. Is that the message you want to send?)
Contact the Premier’s Office here: https://correspondence.premier.gov.on.ca/EN/feedback/default.aspx
Find your local MPP (who represents your community in the legislature, and whose job it is to inform their Party leader about the concerns of their constituents…) here: https://www.ola.org/en/members/current/contact-information
I agree totally. I just hope voters will remember all this when elections are held. We miss you on CHML.