Speaker, you know when you’re getting close to the truth, because you get a desperate response like that. That’s the truth. Multiple independent officers of the Legislature have warned this government about avoiding disclosure rules. Explosive reports from the Auditor General, the Integrity Commissioner, the Information and Privacy Commissioner and RCMP criminal investigation under way into this government—it all shows the same thing. This is a government that wasn’t just deleting emails related to the greenbelt. They were also using their personal emails to avoid detection.

The Premier himself conducts his government business on his personal devices and refuses to disclose the details of those phone records to the public, even though it’s required by law. When the Liberal government got caught covering up their gas plant scandal, you know what happened? Someone went to jail. Why is the Premier following the Liberals down the same path of code words, cover up and criminal investigations?

Interjections.

So far this year, there have already been 94—four fires just this week. But inexplicably, the budget to fight those wildfires is down 37.5%. And you know what, Speaker?—

Interjections.

Interjections.

So I’m going to ask the Premier, who’s sitting in his seat right now, if he could stand up, answer this question: Can he explain why he thinks this is enough when those who fight the fires are telling you it’s not?

Interjections.

I want to be very specific with my question to the Premier: Will the Premier assure Ontarians that there will be fully staffed crews and planes for every single region that needs it?

Interjections.

My question is to the Premier. Back in February, I asked the Premier about discrepancies in his chief of staff’s testimony to the Integrity Commissioner. You’re going to recall that Mr. Sackville testified that he didn’t discuss removal criteria related to the greenbelt with anyone until October 27. We now have evidence that he actually got an email with all the greenbelt removal criteria to his personal email account 10 days earlier.

Can the Premier explain why his chief of staff provided false testimony to the Integrity Commissioner?

Why did the Premier’s right-hand man apparently mislead the Integrity Commissioner on multiple occasions, and what consequences is he going to face?

This is the third senior staff member from this Premier’s office to have been caught given inaccurate testimony to the Integrity Commissioner. This is a government that has shown they have no respect for the people’s right to know.

I want to remind the government that their former minister was forced to resign when it was revealed that he lied under oath to the Integrity Commissioner about—

Interjection.

This question is for the Premier. Recently, through a freedom of information request, the NDP has obtained nearly 4,000 pages of records from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing that discussed the Premier’s infamous greenbelt grab. The documents include emails that were forwarded to Ryan Amato, the former chief of staff to the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. One thing that kept coming up in these documents is several uses of the phrase G-asterisk or G-star.

So my question to the Premier is, does the Premier have any idea what that means or why it would be used in internal communications with Mr. Amato and the minister’s office?

So my question back to the Premier: Was anyone directed to avoid or conceal references to the greenbelt in their written communications so they could avoid being captured in a freedom-of-information request?

So I’m going back to the Premier again, hoping for an answer: Did anyone in the Premier’s office direct others to avoid email or use code words when discussing the special project of carving up the greenbelt, and when is the Premier going to be disclosing this to the RCMP?

Interjections.

Speaker, back to the Premier: The reason this is important is because it is part of a growing mountain of evidence that the government has deliberately tried to cover up the details of its $8-billion greenbelt grab. Last year, the Auditor General uncovered evidence that government officials had inappropriately used personal email accounts and devices when discussing the greenbelt grab. Today’s FOI shows more of the same between Mr. Amato and Mr. Sackville in the Premier’s office.

Back to the Premier again: Is it standard operating procedure to have staff use personal devices and accounts when discussing the “special project” known internally as “G*”?

The former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing made only about 20 minutes of calls using his government-issued phone last November. Now, think back, Speaker: This was the month the minister announced changes to the greenbelt, as well as the forced expansions of the urban boundaries of Hamilton, York, Peel, Ottawa and other municipalities. There is evidence the government gave preferential treatment to the favoured speculators who benefitted from these changes.

To the Premier: Did the minister stay off his government-issued phone to avoid leaving a record of who he was talking to?

Interjections.

My question is for the Premier. Has the Premier, or anyone in his staff, been in contact with the RCMP regarding the investigation into the greenbelt grab?

Earlier this month, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing confirmed that the RCMP has been in touch with his ministry. They are already sniffing around the cabinet and other members of government caucus who have deep connections to these land speculators. This scandal has already cost the government two cabinet ministers and multiple staff members, not to mention a full year wasted on speculator-friendly policies that had to be reversed because they did not meet the needs of Ontarians.

My question is for the Premier: How many current or former cabinet ministers or political staff have been contacted by the RCMP?

Interjections.

Speaker, to the Premier, what is it going to take for you and your government to come clean with the people of Ontario? My gosh.

Interjections.

My question is for the Premier. The Premier told the Integrity Commissioner that he does not recall speaking with Sergio Manchia about changes to government land use policies, and yet new documents revealed this week show that the Premier met with Mr. Manchia on at least two occasions before announcing changes to the greenbelt—changes that benefited Mr. Manchia. One was a fundraiser for a fellow caucus member, the member from Flamborough–Glanbrook.

So to the Premier: How many other government members have had fundraisers with people who are looking for preferential treatment from this government?

Speaker, this government’s questionable fundraising is very well known to the people of Ontario. They’ve been warned and even cautioned on multiple occasions by officers of the Legislature and even Elections Ontario about their fundraising practices. The Integrity Commissioner revealed that the Premier’s fundraiser-in-chief was selling tickets to the infamous Ford family stag and doe to developers with business before the government. Those developers at the event succeeded in getting their properties removed.

So to the Premier: Was the Premier aware that his top fundraiser was peddling stag and doe tickets to developers who were lobbying the government?

Interjections.

Interjections.

Interjections.

To the Premier: Will his minister correct the record?

I move the following motion: Whereas the government is under criminal investigation by the RCMP for their removal of lands from the greenbelt; and

Whereas the Auditor General is in the process of reviewing whether there has been mismanagement and abuse of ministerial zoning orders; and

Whereas there are outstanding questions about an inappropriate relationship between a former government minister and a land speculator, and incorrect information provided to the Integrity Commissioner about this relationship; and

Whereas there are outstanding questions about whether there was preferential treatment given to a foreign company to build a private spa on public land at Ontario Place; and;

Whereas there are outstanding questions about whether there was preferential treatment given to a foreign company to build a private spa on public land at Ontario Place; and;

Whereas there are outstanding questions about preferential treatment given to government donors and personal friends of the Premier with respect to the building of Highway 413; and

Whereas there are outstanding questions about unqualified patronage appointments to public agencies, boards, and commissions; and

Whereas the Premier has admitted that he regularly uses his personal phone to conduct government business and those communications might be relevant to these inquiries;

Therefore the Legislative Assembly calls on the Premier to cease his access-to-information appeal and disclose the contents of his personal phone and email accounts to the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Speaker, that answer is not going to cut it because this is not happening in a vacuum. This is a land grab happening at the same time as this government was carving up the greenbelt.

Let’s look at Barrie. The government actually reduced density targets for new developments in Barrie. That means higher infrastructure costs for people in Barrie and more sprawl. But guess what? It’s bigger bucks for a select few land speculators. The government’s memo warned that these changes would make it harder for the city to meet its own housing targets.

Speaker, to the Premier: If this was actually about housing, why is his government pursuing policies that will make it even harder for future generations to find a home?

Speaker, the memo also covers this government’s 2,300 hectares of forced sprawl in Waterloo region, throwing out all of the consultation and the planning work that the region had already done. The government’s own internal memo warned against this, and it said that third-party requests were prioritized over evidence-based solutions by expert planners. This government knew this was wrong; they knew it.

Back to the Premier: Why did his government proceed with this plan for forced boundary changes, and who made these third-party requests?

Interjections.

The Premier says he will supposedly reverse this greenbelt grab, so will he also reverse the changes to York’s official plan?

Interesting, because guess who that benefits? Guess who that benefits? Another speculator with ties to the Premier and to his party.

Speaker, the Integrity Commissioner revealed evidence suggesting—

Interjections.

Because guess who those changes benefit? Another speculator with ties to this Premier and his party.

Speaker, the Integrity Commissioner revealed evidence suggesting Michael Rice asked for a parcel of land in Richmond Hill to be removed from the greenbelt—land he didn’t yet own. But Mr. Rice seemed to know that this government was planning to open up this land for speculators, so he made a deal to buy the land at a rock-bottom price, and then this government changed the boundaries to include his property, driving its value up dramatically.

Did the Premier and did this government give preferential treatment to Mr. Rice?

Interjections.

I move that, whereas the Auditor General and the Integrity Commissioner have found significant irregularities in the processes leading to this government’s removal of lands from the greenbelt; and

Whereas the investigations by these independent officers have raised serious questions that demand further inquiry; and

Whereas the witnesses who refused to co-operate with the Auditor General’s investigation must be compelled to provide their evidence; and

Whereas members of this government have previously advocated for the use of select committees to investigate misconduct, including the Liberal government’s gas plant cancellations;

Therefore, the Legislative Assembly calls on the government to form a select committee on changes to the greenbelt to ensure full transparency and accountability.

I move that, whereas the Auditor General and the Integrity Commissioner found that the government’s decision to remove lands from the greenbelt gave preferential treatment to certain private interests; and

Whereas the reports of these independent officers call into question this government’s decision-making on other ongoing transactions, including Highway 413, urban boundary expansions, Ontario Place, health care privatization and stalled transit projects; and

Whereas the witnesses who refused to co-operate with the Auditor General’s investigation must be compelled to provide their evidence; and

Whereas members of this government have previously advocated for the use of select committees to investigate misconduct, including the gas plant cancellations;

Therefore, the Legislative Assembly calls on the government to appoint a select committee on changes to the greenbelt to ensure full transparency and accountability.

Speaker, it looks as though this will be the last question period for a while, and so I’d like to do a bit of a review of this government’s priorities.

This government has really delivered, if you’re a wealthy developer with insider connections. We saw this government prioritize carving up protected greenbelt lands for the benefit of deep-pocketed friends of the Premier and his party, lands that help Ontario mitigate the effects of climate change, lands of ecological significance and crucial farmland.

Speaker, to the Premier: Will he prioritize our environment and stop carving up the greenbelt for his insider friends?

The NDP proposed a solution to turn the lights back on in the public operating rooms that we already have and get Ontarians the surgeries they’ve been waiting for. The Conservatives voted no.

Speaker, back to the Premier: Will he finally prioritize patients over insiders and make health care public once again?

Speaker, investing in health care or education or housing—instead of doing those things, the government is prioritizing giving $650 million to an Austrian corporate conglomerate to build a luxury spa on top of a public park. While small-town emergency rooms are being shuttered, the company behind this elite luxury spa is being given hundreds of millions of dollars and a 95-year lease.

Speaker, back to the Premier: Will he cancel his $650-million private spa and instead invest that money in communities that desperately need it?

Interjections.

Interjections.

Good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Earlier today, the NDP released a document obtained from freedom-of-information requests showing that officials at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing were discussing the removal of specific greenbelt lands prior to the last election.

Will the minister tell us which officials were discussing these greenbelt removals and was he one of them?

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?

Good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier.

Ontario’s greenbelt includes over two million acres of protected land, including some of the most fertile agricultural land in the country. The greenbelt generates nearly $9.6 billion in annual economic activity, and supports over 177,000 jobs. It also provides $3.2 billion a year in services like flood protection, water purification and stormwater management.

Speaker, does the Premier really think this is all a big scam?

Speaker, let’s talk about scams. How about the one where developers with close ties to the Conservatives somehow knew to buy protected land in the greenbelt long before the change was made? To the Premier: How did these developers get advance notice of his government’s intentions to carve up the greenbelt?

Let’s get this straight: They won’t tell us who shared information about the greenbelt carve-up in advance of the November 2022 announcement. They won’t acknowledge that developers who benefited from this were at private family fundraisers of the Premier. They won’t release the records of who in the Premier’s office was sharing this information. And now, they’re trying to distract by saying that the greenbelt is not a thing.

Speaker, the Premier owes Ontarians a straight answer: Is he planning to open up more sections of the greenbelt for his developer friends, yes or no?

The Premier and the housing minister told the Integrity Commissioner that they only learned about the proposal to remove 15 giant swaths of land from the greenbelt shortly before the public did on November 4, 2022. Remember that date: November 4, 2022. Because new evidence revealed just this morning suggests that those in the Premier’s inner circle were aware of it much earlier—before August of that same year.

To the Premier: What was the exact date when he was made aware of this greenbelt proposal?

Interjections.

Speaker, timing matters—

Speaker, the timing matters; timing matters quite a lot. In 2018, this government swore up and down that they wouldn’t touch the greenbelt, but the evidence suggests that no later than August 2022, they were considering breaking that promise. And that matters, because in September, one developer, Rice Commercial Group, purchased two parcels of land for $80 million—parcels of land that could not be developed because they were fully in the greenbelt, land that is now worth considerably more because it can be developed. The developer also happens to be a major donor to the Conservative Party.

To the Premier: Did the Conservatives tip off one of their major donors that they were planning to carve up the greenbelt?

Interjections.

Speaker, back to the Premier, sitting right in front of me: If they have nothing to hide, when will they release the full records related to their greenbelt grab?

Interjections.

Last year, the then mayor secretly requested a ministerial zoning order from the housing minister so a developer could build a warehouse on prime farmland. The town council and local planning staff did not support this project. Local residents weren’t even notified, much less consulted. But the then mayor ignored the wishes of his democratically elected council and asked the housing minister for an MZO, which he was given.

To the Premier: Does he think that those secret, undemocratic dealings are acceptable? And will he revoke this MZO?

Yesterday, the Premier said there was no rhyme or reason to how lands were selected to be protected as part of the greenbelt. He said the greenbelt was formed by “a bunch of staffers in a room with crayons and highlighters and randomly just went on a map.”

If the Premier thinks the greenbelt wasn’t formed using a proper process, well, can he finally share his process for removing lands from the greenbelt?

Again to the Premier: How did the government decide which parcels of land would be removed from the greenbelt?

The Conservatives’ greenbelt grab is not about housing. If this government cared about investing in Ontario’s housing stock, we’d see investment in public housing and in building homes that everyday Ontarians could actually afford to live in; not luxury mansions, on sprawl. Ontarians are following the money. They know it’s not about housing. It’s about insiders with connections to the Conservatives buying up land super cheap and then selling it off, developing it, for incredible profit.

Once again to the Premier, one more chance: Who was holding the crayons when the government decided to sell off the greenbelt?

Interjections.

Speaker, the circumstances around this government’s paving-over and carve-up of the greenbelt and this continued lack of transparency by the Premier means that every land use decision by this government is tainted by suspicion. That’s the fact. When the Premier muses about massive changes to provincial institutions with no evidence at all, not even pretending to have community involvement, it raises questions.

So I have to ask, Speaker—to the Premier, again—are any developers with ties to the Conservatives pushing to move the Ontario Science Centre?

There’s a person who sits here almost every day in the members’ gallery, and his name is Michau van Speyk. It is his 28th birthday today. I want to wish him a happy birthday.

There is growing public opposition to this land grab, there’s an ongoing ethics inquiry, and there are new federal interventions.

So will the Premier finally stop his attack on our greenbelt?

Back to the Premier: Parks Canada said the government’s greenbelt carve-up is going to cause irreversible harm to wildlife. The federal government says the risks are real. This government muzzled the Greenbelt Council. It’s becoming increasingly clear that consultation did not happen—not at all.

So my question to the Premier is, beyond the guests at his family function, who did he consult on the impacts of his greenbelt carve-up?

Ontarians know that this government’s greenbelt grab has nothing at all to do with housing. They are not convinced by any of this. It has everything to do with a handful of very well-connected insiders making a lot of money.

Speaker, the reality is, this government’s plan won’t build a single new unit of affordable housing.

If this government truly cared about making sure that Ontarians had good places to call home, they’d be ending exclusionary zoning and investing to build non-profit, co-op and supportive housing.

My question to the Premier is, instead of bulldozing the greenbelt, will you invest in truly affordable housing on the land we already have?

Interjections.

Good morning. Bonjour, monsieur le Président. Premièrement, j’aimerais souhaiter une bonne Journée internationale de la Francophonie à toutes et à tous.

Speaker, the Premier likes to say the Integrity Commissioner cleared him 1,000% over his greenbelt grab. But do you know what the Premier won’t say? Whether or not he told the commissioner that developers were charged admission to the stag-and-doe.

The commissioner has said that his clearance at the time was “only as good as the information provided to me by the member or their staff.”

My question is to the Premier: Did he disclose all of the details about these events to the Integrity Commissioner?

Expert after expert has proven that we have more than enough land to build affordable homes for people without paving over the greenbelt for overpriced luxury mansions. But this government doesn’t like experts when they get in the way. Last week, we learned that this government quietly muzzled the Greenbelt Council so they couldn’t speak out against the Premier’s land grab.

My next question to the Premier is, what was his government so afraid the council would say?

In 2018, this Premier promised Ontario that he would never touch the greenbelt. He swore up and down that he would protect it. Conservative promise made; Conservative promise broken.

Now we risk losing vital farmland, a massive carbon sink and a key protection against flooding, all so that a few well-connected insiders can make a profit.

Concerned Ontarians, including those of us in the official opposition, have called on the federal government to intervene. So my question is to the Premier: Will his government do the right thing and stop this unnecessary greenbelt grab, or do we need to wait for the feds to protect the land that he won’t?

In Toronto, on average, three unhoused people died every week last year—three a week. That’s 187 lives lost because this government didn’t have the plan in place to ensure they had a safe and stable place to live. Speaker, if you’re homeless in Toronto, your life expectancy is now half that of a housed person. That is not normal.

My question is to the Premier. Will he bring back real rent control and invest urgently in the supportive housing we need to help prevent even one more life from being lost?

And it’s not just Toronto, Speaker; from Essex to Milton to Kanata to Timmins, we now have a homelessness crisis in every corner of this province.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario points to this Conservative government’s terrible policy and chronic underinvestment. Why is the government sitting on $6.4 billion while people are falling into desperation without safe and stable homes to live in?

The Premier has repeatedly claimed that his carve-up of Ontario’s greenbelt is simply about providing the land we need for housing. But a new report released just yesterday found that there is more than enough land to build two million homes without punching massive holes in our greenbelt. So if it’s not about land for housing, what is it about?

Will the Premier admit that this is about paving over protected land so a select few people can make a lot of money?

Speaker, the report that was released yesterday shows what the people of this province already know: We don’t need insider schemes and torching of the greenbelt to build the housing that people need.

We need 1.5 million homes in Ontario, and it’s only getting worse. But I haven’t talked to one municipal leader—not one—one housing advocate or one regular Ontarian who thinks that the problem is that there aren’t enough mega mansions. That is not the problem.

Why won’t this government work with our municipal partners to build affordable homes on the land we already have available?

Planning experts, municipalities and the government’s own task force—despite his creative quoting from that report—have said that land availability is not the problem.

Again, will this government—and I’d love the Premier to be able to answer this question—listen to the experts, use the land we already have available, and reverse the decision to remove 7,400 acres of protected greenbelt land?

Can the Premier explain how, after four years of his leadership, things have only gotten worse?

Good morning, Speaker. It was 18 years ago today that the greenbelt was established in law. The Greenbelt Act protected two million acres of remarkably productive farmland and environmentally sensitive areas, and it was a hard-fought victory—something that all Ontarians are very proud of.

But today’s anniversary is a solemn one, because, as we know now, this Premier is in the process of carving up our greenbelt. What we don’t know is who knew about the plan in advance and how select insiders came to benefit from these land deals.

Will the Premier reverse his decision to bulldoze the greenbelt and release the details of his dealings with the developers involved?

Speaker, we do know that the greenbelt matters to everyone, no matter where they live in this province. I can tell you that because I’ve been travelling around this province. And let me tell you, it doesn’t take long to hear that people are struggling—people are struggling to pay rent, to find a doctor, to get their kids the support they need in school. People are looking for help and a government that’s willing to give it, but what they’re getting is one that refuses to spend the billions earmarked for health and education.

How can Ontarians trust this Premier’s upcoming budget will deliver for their communities when last year’s budget hasn’t even reached them?

It’s a real pleasure to welcome to this House members of the Ontario Federation of Labour executive: Patty Coates, Ahmad Gaied, Janice Folk-Dawson and Rob Halpin.

I’d also like to recognize members of Greenbelt Promise who are joining us here today—it’s a long list: Brad Merrill, Lilly Noble, Katie Krelove, Marilyn Osborne, Janet Patterson, Dave Pearce, Brody R., Karen Rathwell, Wendy Roberts, Lisa Schumph, Catherine Scott, Sharon Sommerville, Robert Spence, Marta Stiteleler, Carolyn Stupple, Michelle Tom, Peter Varty, Elizabeth Ward, Roz Vincent-Haven, Marijan Vranic, George Wheeler and Nelly Young. Thank you, and welcome to our House.