Speaker, it’s not about what this government says is going to be built or not. It’s about who has access to this government to get these favours. That’s what this is about.

Shortly before that June meeting, Luca Bucci, the chief of staff to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, left the ministry and took a job as the new CEO of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association. The president of the OHBA at the time was Bob Schickedanz, whose company owned the King township property that would then be sold to Michael Rice on September 15, and then removed from the greenbelt less than two months later. Follow along here, Speaker.

Did Mr. Bucci or any other government official know about any of the greenbelt removals prior to September 15, 2022?

Last week, the Narwhal reported that officials in the Premier’s office were aware of the changes to the greenbelt as early as August, and Michael Rice was pitching a development proposal for his soon-to-be-acquired greenbelt land as early as June or maybe even January of last year. The timeline here doesn’t make any sense.

Why did the Premier and the minister tell the Integrity Commissioner that they only knew about the greenbelt removal scheme in November, when the Premier’s inner circle clearly knew long before then?