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Ford government obfuscated Greenbelt records through code words: commissioner

Published Jun 12, 2025 at 8:46pm

The Canadian Press
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The Canadian Press
Ford government obfuscated Greenbelt records through code words: commissioner

Ontario Premier Doug Ford holds a press conference in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Sept. 21, 2023 to announce he would reverse his government’s decision to open the Greenbelt to developers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tara Walton

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.

Political staff were using code words to thwart document requests and left a surprisingly small paper trail for such a consequential policy, commissioner Patricia Kosseim wrote as part of her annual report.

A number of freedom-of-information appeals her office received on Greenbelt-related requests revealed concerning, systemic issues, she wrote.

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