Doug Ford gets Greenbelt draft report amid predictions ‘the walls are closing in’ on his Tories

Sources say a draft of Bonnie Lysyk’s audit has been shared with the premier but her findings are not expected for another few weeks.
Thestar.com
Aug. 3, 2023
Robert Benzie

Premier Doug Ford is girding for a much-anticipated auditor general’s report into his controversial Greenbelt land swap.

While sources say a draft of Bonnie Lysyk’s audit has been shared with the premier -- for the government’s official response before publication as is customary -- her findings are not expected to be released for another few weeks.
Ford’s office refused to comment Wednesday.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the Tories are clearly worried about Lysyk’s “value-for-money” audit into the Progressive Conservatives’ decision to open up the Greenbelt for housing development.

“It’s fair to say that the walls are closing in on this Conservative government,” said Stiles, pointing out Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake is also examining the Greenbelt deals.

Tory sources, speaking confidentially in order to discuss internal deliberations, acknowledged the parallel probes were a hot topic of conversation among cabinet ministers and MPPs this week.

Also generating buzz was the revelation a former top Conservative official had left suddenly as chief executive officer of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, an influential lobby group for property developers.

Luca Bucci, who had been Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark’s chief of staff before joining the OHBA in June 2022, parted ways with the association Tuesday.

In a letter to members, OHBA president Louie Zagordo said he was “reaching out to advise that Luca Bucci (CEO) is no longer with the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, effective today.”

Zagordo did not provide a reason for the departure of Bucci, a key player in crafting the Tories’ plan to build 1.5 million new homes in the next decade to tackle Ontario’s housing crisis.

Stiles said “the timing is very interesting” given events at Queen’s Park.

“As we know, the government is facing two investigations that we’ve requested,” the New Democratic leader said.

“We’ve raised questions previously about the role of Mr. Bucci as a former chief of staff to the minister,” she said, noting there is a “cooling-off period” before a former government official can lobby.

At issue is the premier’s opening up of 7,400 acres of the Greenbelt to build houses. In exchange, 9,400 acres were added elsewhere to the two-million acre swath of sensitive lands.

Ford, who two weeks ago insisted “we have nothing to hide” about the Greenbelt changes that benefited some wealthy developers with Tory connections, has been critical of Lysyk’s investigation.

“It’s not even within her scope. She has to look for value for money,” the premier said July 13.

“Everyone in our office is co-operating with the integrity commissioner and with the auditor general. Folks, we have nothing to hide,” said Ford.

“The difference between the integrity commissioner (is) that (he) puts his scope out there versus the auditor general that (this) isn’t even in her realm -- that’s the difference. I encourage everyone to co-operate.”

Two developers who benefited from Ford’s Greenbelt changes went to court to fight Lysyk’s summons to interview them for her investigation.

Michael Rice and Silvio De Gasperis separately filed court applications to block or delay her order to be interviewed under oath and hand over pertinent documents.

Each argued they are private citizens and maintained Lysyk was overreaching her authority and mandate as a watchdog over the provincial government’s finances.

“The auditor general’s role is not to investigate, audit, and/or examine private citizens under oath, or go on fishing expeditions with respect to their private corporate affairs,” Rice said in his court application.

Neil Wilson, a lawyer for De Gasperis’s company, TACC Developments, has said the firm is “not the best source of information on these broad subject matters.”

“At this point, the scope and goal of the auditor general’s investigation are unclear. If it is a value-for-money audit, we cannot understand how it could be achieved at this stage, primarily because the costs of development to the developers are unknown,” Wilson said last month.

Previously, the Star and the Narwhal revealed eight of the 15 parcels of land removed from the Greenbelt were purchased after Ford took power in 2018.

The premier, who has always insisted no developers were tipped off to his Greenbelt moves, has emphasized he does not “interfere in the private sector.”

He’s also pointed out he “expanded the Greenbelt by 2,000 acres” and that his Liberal predecessor, premier Kathleen Wynne, made 17 boundary changes in 2017.

Those minor adjustments only totalled around 340 acres.