Ontario’s Crystal Clear Decisions?
From Greenbelt adjustments to skills fund choices and health care funding patterns
Doug Ford has led Ontario since 2018 with a straightforward, “common sense” approach that resonates with many voters. Yet beneath that approachable style, a series of controversies have raised questions about favoritism and decision-making that benefit connected insiders.
The Greenbelt issue from 2022 stands out as one of the most significant. The government removed protections from about 7,400 acres of land to support housing development, a move that could have generated roughly $8 billion in gains for select developers. Some recipients had prior ties to Ford’s circle or related projects like Highway 413. An Auditor General report highlighted apparent preferential treatment, an Integrity Commissioner identified ethics violations that contributed to a minister’s resignation, and the RCMP opened a criminal investigation into possible fraud and corruption. Though Ford reversed the changes amid public pressure, the probe continues into 2026 with limited public updates, including interviews with staff but key figures still pending.
More recently, the Skills Development Fund, a $2.5 billion program for workforce training—drew sharp criticism in the Auditor General’s 2025 report. It described the allocation process as lacking fairness, transparency, and accountability. Political staff overrode expert evaluations, directing around $742–750 million to lower-ranked applicants. Over 60 recipients had hired lobbyists with connections to the government or PC Party, and examples included grants to individuals and organizations linked to Ford associates, campaign supporters, or donors—some receiving millions despite modest scores or late submissions. Opposition parties called for resignations and investigations, with the Integrity Commissioner now reviewing the Labour Minister’s role and OPP examining certain recipients for potential fraud.
In health care, the government has pursued expanded private delivery while public hospitals face ongoing pressures. Funding increases have lagged behind needs, the Financial Accountability Office suggests at least 4% annual growth to sustain services, but projections hover around 0.7% in coming years. This has contributed to hospital deficits, staff shortages (with projections of thousands fewer workers), and reliance on costly agency nurses (hospitals spent $9 billion on them over the past decade). Meanwhile, hundreds of millions in public funds support for-profit clinics for procedures like orthopedics and cataracts, often at higher per-case costs (up to 200% more in some instances), raising concerns about shifting resources away from the public system and toward privatization without clear long-term benefits for access or wait times.
These episodes form a recurring pattern where public resources appear directed toward those with political or personal proximity to the government. Ford maintains these are legitimate efforts to get things done for Ontarians, but the repeated scrutiny, from audits, ethics reviews, and police inquiries—has left many wondering about the balance between efficiency and impartiality in how decisions get made. Meanwhile, Ontarians wait longer for care, pay more taxes, and watch trust erode.
BACKGROUNDER
The Ontario Greenbelt scandal refers to a major controversy surrounding the Doug Ford government’s 2022 decision to remove protections from parts of the province’s Greenbelt, a protected zone of farmland, wetlands, and natural areas around the Greater Toronto Area designed to curb urban sprawl and preserve the environment.
In November 2022, the government announced plans to remove about 7,400 acres (roughly 3,000 hectares) from the Greenbelt across 15 specific parcels, while adding around 9,400 acres elsewhere as compensation. The stated goal was to free up land for housing development, aiming to build at least 50,000 new homes to address Ontario’s housing shortage. The changes were finalized in December 2022.
The backlash was swift and intense. Investigations revealed that the selection process was highly irregular: a senior political staffer (Ryan Amato, chief of staff to then, Housing Minister Steve Clark) largely controlled and directed which lands were chosen, bypassing normal bureaucratic and environmental reviews. Developers who owned or had recently acquired properties in those parcels stood to gain massive windfalls, estimated at over $8 billion in increased land value (per the Auditor General’s 2023 report) because removing Greenbelt status dramatically boosts development potential.
Key issues included apparent favoritism toward developers with ties to the Progressive Conservative Party or Ford’s circle. Some had purchased land shortly before the announcement, and the process ignored standard criteria like environmental impact, agricultural value, and servicing feasibility. The Auditor General’s August 2023 report called it a failure of due diligence and highlighted how the changes favored certain private interests. The Integrity Commissioner found ethics breaches by Minister Clark, who resigned in September 2023 along with his chief of staff and others.
In response to mounting pressure—including public protests, opposition demands, and the damning reports—Premier Ford reversed the decision in September 2023, apologizing and calling the process a “mistake” that moved too fast and allowed unfair advantages. He pledged no future changes to the Greenbelt.
The fallout continued. The RCMP launched a criminal investigation in October 2023 (transferred from the OPP to avoid conflict of interest) into potential irregularities, corruption, or fraud related to the land selections and approvals. As of early 2026, the probe remains ongoing with no public charges or conclusions reported, it’s now over two years old and described as “thorough” but without updates.
Related developments persist: Ongoing Freedom of Information battles, use of personal emails/Google Docs by staff (flagged by watchdogs), a judicial review challenge by a former staffer over compelled interviews, and lawsuits from developers (e.g., Minotar Holdings seeking $300 million in damages for breach of contract after the reversal reinstated protections on their land).
The scandal eroded public trust, contributed to resignations, and remains a lingering political issue, even after Ford’s re-elections, as questions about transparency, influence, and accountability in land-use decisions hang unresolved.
