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Ford government obfuscated Greenbelt records through code words: commissioner
- Ontario's transparency watchdog released a report on June 13, 2025, criticizing the Ford government's handling of Greenbelt land removals announced in November 2022.
- The report identifies failures including deleted emails, use of opaque codewords like 'G*', and inadequate record keeping that obscured decision-making around 7,400 acres removed from protected land.
- Further details note the absence of documented decisions and reliance on personal devices, which contravened laws and hindered transparency during a process favoring developers with over $8 billion in gains.
- Commissioner Kosseim emphasized that these actions breach legal requirements for record maintenance and undermine the public’s confidence in the transparency and accountability of government decision-making, while calling for sustained oversight.
- The report's findings coincide with an ongoing RCMP investigation and have prompted the government to strengthen record-keeping and training, though critics demand accountability for the record deletion and cover-up attempts.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Barrie Today
Orillia MattersOntario watchdog slams Ford government over deleted Greenbelt emails
'Use of opaque codewords … not only violate legal record-keeping obligations, they also erode public trust in the integrity of government decision-making,' says report
The Toronto Star
The Hamilton SpectatorWatchdog slams Ford government for using code words and private emails to discuss the Greenbelt
Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim said the Ford government’s tactics broke laws requiring proper records on official decisions.
This is stated by the Provincial Information Commissioner in a new report.
Ford government used code words to make it 'unduly difficult' to search Greenbelt records: report
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government broke its legal, record-keeping obligations amid its now-reversed decision to open up parts of the protected Greenbelt lands for housing, the province's information and privacy commissioner has found.
Ford government obfuscated Greenbelt records through code words: commissioner
Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner says Premier Doug Ford’s government broke its legal, record-keeping obligations amid its now-reversed decision to open up parts of the protected Greenbelt lands for housing.
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