Ford wedding’s ties to Greenbelt developers continue to be questioned

Frustration is mounting as the Ontario government continues to face scrutiny over the ties between the guest list for the wedding of one of Premier Doug Ford’s daughters, and the developers who are poised to build on newly unprotected Greenbelt land.

The Ontario New Democrats are accusing the premier of a breach of ethics, saying he invited developers who are benefitting from the government’s decision to expanding housing into the area. The party has assembled an affidavit that includes a photo of the wedding reception guest list, sparking an accusation from government leadership today.

“This is an Opposition that sent somebody to the premier’s daughter’s wedding to take a picture of the seating plan. I don’t know of any other opposition party that would sink to that level,” said Government House Leader Paul Calandra.

The NDP dismissed Calandra’s claim.

“There is desperation right there for you,” said Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles. “No one is buying this.”

In the legislature Monday, Calandra took his accusations further, accusing Stiles of an anti-Italian bias.

“Why doesn’t she just come out and say what she really means,” he said. “We have heard it for decades in this place. If you’re an Italian and you’re building homes for the people of the province of Ontario, somehow you can’t be doing it ethically.”

Stiles again rejected that claim, adding: “There’s nothing too low this government won’t stoop to. Generalizations and accusations like that, that are completely outrageous. The only reason they’re doing it is to distract from the questions that we’re asking.”

As for the photo of the wedding guest list, Stiles said it was available on a wedding service provider’s website, which CityNews has independently confirmed.

As for the guest list itself, the premier denies any wrongdoing, saying he was simply inviting old family friends. He was cleared by the integrity commissioner, but the NDP has formally requested a deeper investigation.

“The premier of this province is not just anyone. He should be held to a higher standard of conduct,” said Stiles

The government maintains opening up the Greenbelt is necessary to meet the critical need for housing.

However, a new report, prepared for southern Ontario municipalities by a former member of the Ontario Greenbelt Council member, concluded there is already more than enough available land without building on the Greenbelt.

The government has set a target of building 1.5 million housing units in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area by 2031. The report concluded that there is already capacity for two million new units, in already developed areas, without touching Greenbelt land. The report said that, in much of the area, total housing capacity is already more than double the target.

“Once again today we have another study that confirms what the government’s own housing affordability task force has said,” noted Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner. “The government needs to answer the question: why are they opening the Greenbelt for development so that a handful of wealthy well-connected speculators can cash in, while the rest of us are going to pay the price for that?”