Sharon

[David Moscrop @David_Moscrop]

Ontario is a hopelessly corrupt province and the Ford government is the chief culprit.

The Greenbelt scandal ought to bring down the government -- and then some. There must be serious consequences for those involved in this utter, massive, disaster.

[Colin D'Mello | Global News @ColinDMello]

BREAKING: Ontario's AG reveals Premier Doug Ford directed Housing Minister Steve Clark to conduct “swaps, expansions, contractions and policy updates” related to the Greenbelt.

Developers then had direct influence over which lands were removed.

#ONpoli
https://t.co/PTBrusACX9

[Fair Vote Canada 🗳 🇨🇦 @FairVoteCanada]

Can we all agree now that an electoral system that hands unbridled power to politicians 60% didn't vote for breeds corruption and is just generally a bad idea?

[Michael Gerald Gibbs🏳️‍🌈🍁 🇺🇦 (He/Him) @Mikeggibbs]

It's the most sickening, egregious, sleazy govt corruption scandal in Ontario in my lifetime. It rates as one of the worst most flagrant abuses of power in Canadian history. It would land most US Governors a lengthy prison sentence.

It's so serious...the Opposition should call for the govt to resign, an immediate election!

That would have happened in pre-2018 Ontario, anything less would have been unthinkable!

If they didn't immediately resign, McGuinty, Eves, Harris and Rae would have been chased out of office by angry mobs with rocks and pitchforks, and dump trucks of human and animal excrement circling their homes. It would have got so ugly FAST.

So....this isn't "Ontario" anymore.

It's Boston and Chicago under Honey Fitz and Al Capone.

[Michael Gerald Gibbs🏳️‍🌈🍁 🇺🇦 (He/Him) @Mikeggibbs]

The story needs time to breathe. There's much more coming bc there's so much to unravel. Investigative journalist teams are working it hard.

It's arguably the biggest, most nuclear govt corruption, fraud and abuse of power scandal outside Quebec, I think, since John A MacDonald.

NOTHING else comes close.

A shadow unelected cabal of developers seized power in what amounts to a coup. Bc they're running the Ontario govt in secret off the payroll accountable to no one not even cabinet.

It's a huge *criminal* conspiracy by definition according to basic ethics laws in most other democratic countries.

[Jennifer Keesmaat @jen_keesmaat]

The great Greenbelt give-a-way.

A handful of developers to reap $8.3 billion in profit from a process rigged by Progressive Conservatives to make them wealthy.

The report makes it clear: these are unserviced lands. Opening them up for development will have no impact on our housing crisis. It will take decades just to get servicing in place.

Further, staff were directed by the Premier's office to ignore environmental or agricultural concerns.

Not shocking, but a confirmation - in writing, and as a result of a comprehensive due diligence process, of what we had suspected over the course of the past 12 months.

What should happen next?

1. Reverse the policy changes and send the developers packing?

2. Should *someone* be stepping down?!

3. Criminal charges? Is this fraud? According to the Criminal Code, "anyone who commits fraud is guilt of an indictable offence and is subject to a prison term."

Curious where this goes - seems like there are two parts: 1) accountability for this mess and 2) preventing the disaster of what has been done from proceeding.

#ProtectOurGreenbelt

https://t.co/4j9rkDP8xu

[Fair Vote Canada 🗳 🇨🇦 @FairVoteCanada]

This scandal is just another in a long line of scandals caused by a first-past-the-post system that grants politicians false majorities to do whatever they want without any accountability.

We desperately need proportional representation.

[graeme @PhonoGraeme]

@RichardCityNews Doug ford is the worst. Everyone who voted for this guy should be ashamed and now is your chance to make up for it by calling for him to resign. #resigndougford

[Daisyduke @Daisydu24089643]

@RichardCityNews And he keeps getting away with everything!! Maddening , when will this end ?? #FORDisCORRUPT #ResignDougFord

[LISA @Llove2chat]

@RichardCityNews #ResignDougFord the Premier pretends he didn't know what the chief of staff was doing. FLAGRANT LIE. The Premier handed developers the greenbelt for their enrichment not the public! There will be NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

[HotPopRobot: Tech4Good Ocean-Space-Earth-Society @wonrobot]

@AhmarSKhan Not making it up. This is just the "Table of Content" of the 95-page report @OntarioAuditor Report by Auditor General - showing the extent of @fordnation #greenbelt corruption.
Full report https://t.co/vcJF0bBVUT

[Ahmar Khan @AhmarSKhan]

Here’s the Auditor General in her own words:

[Ahmar Khan @AhmarSKhan]

BREAKING: Developers in Ontario had direct influence over the province’s decision to extract lands from the Greenbelt and received “preferential treatment."

- Directives came from Doug Ford's office
- Owners of the now 15 parcels of land - value will go up $8.3B
- Of the 7,400 acres extracted, 6,700 — or 92 per cent — was removed as a direct result of developer access to the chief of staff.
- 3 weeks to identify 22 parcels of land for sale

(via @isaaccallan and @ColinDMello)
https://t.co/Wvyiz9bGtP

[John Fraser @JohnFraserOS]

“There is no way on God’s green Earth that Minister Clark’s Chief of Staff acted without the Minister’s full knowledge or direction. Ministers make decisions; their Chiefs of Staff implement them.”

See our full press release here:

https://t.co/AAszZMuzuh

[𝓝𝓸𝓼𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓾 @ActualNosferatu]

His ability to lie is really quite something. (Very little goes on with body language or affect that gives it away. He's been a liar since he wore short pants.) This was among the steadiest he looked today and it's when he's outright lying.

[Wendy Goodes @WendyGoodes]

Extremely well written ⁦@David_Moscrop⁩!
“politicians and the public need to keep pressure on Ford and Clark to resign and on the government, whoever is at the helm, to reverse the Greenbelt decision.”

TVO Today https://t.co/84hy4keemM

[Greg Black @Black_PG3]

@OFLabour @marcolongo_mike @fordnation That 8.3B was in 2016 dollars. Probably twice that today. #DougFordResign

[OFL @OFLabour]

3/4 We demand:
- Doug Ford and housing minister Steve Clark: Resign now.
- Affordable housing for all, not backroom deals for billionaires.
- Reverse the Greenbelt decision, restore and protect the land.
Fed up? Have you had enough? Join Enough Is Enough https://t.co/T5ZC0AQerq

[OFL @OFLabour]

2/4
The Auditor General’s scathing report only confirms what we already knew: Ford’s government is rotten to the core.

Read the Auditor General’s full report: https://t.co/6nk1n1Z0WD.