RCMP Conducting Interviews in Ongoing Greenbelt Investigation Involving Ford Government

Officers from the RCMP have started interviewing individuals who are currently or were previously employed in Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office, according to the government, as part of an escalating police investigation into the Greenbelt land swap.

In a statement released on Friday, the premier’s office reiterated their commitment to cooperating with the RCMP’s investigation into the controversial land swap involving environmentally protected areas.

“Our cooperation includes the premier and both current and former staff participating as witnesses in ongoing interviews,” a spokesperson for Ford’s office stated.

The RCMP launched their investigation following two watchdog reports last summer that scrutinized the Ford government’s decision to remove 7,400 acres of protected land from the Greenbelt to allow for residential development.

Reports from the auditor general and the integrity commissioner highlighted concerns regarding the decision’s potential benefits to certain developers and the disorganized internal process that led to it.

Initially, the Ontario Provincial Police had opened a file on the Greenbelt issue, but they later transferred the investigation to the RCMP to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest.