Stiles: The more Ontarians learn about Ford’s Greenbelt Grab, the shadier it gets

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, released the following statement on the sudden departure of former Ford Conservatives staffer Luca Bucci as the CEO of the Ontario Home Builders Association (OHBA):

“In addition to the serious environmental concerns, Ontarians are rightly worried about the appearance of insider trading when it comes to Ford’s Greenbelt Grab.

Growing evidence suggests that developers with ties to Ford’s Conservatives—insiders, donors, friends—may have had advance inside knowledge of the government’s intention to remove land from the Greenbelt and used it to rake in extraordinary profits.

Mr. Bucci’s lobbying was a large part of my original complaint to the Integrity Commissioner, whose investigation is ongoing. So too is the probe by the Auditor General. Has the Commissioner or the Auditor General uncovered further evidence, and is the OHBA trying to get out ahead of it?

Time will tell.

But one thing is for sure—the more Ontarians learn about Ford’s Greenbelt Grab, the shadier it gets.”

QUICK FACTS

• The Integrity Commissioner advises that former government staffers not lobby their former employers until after a one-year cooling off period has ended so as not to run afoul of a conflict of interest under Section 3.4 of the Lobbyists Registration Act.
• If someone is found to have contravened the Lobbyists Registration Act, they can be prohibited from lobbying for up to two years, which would be a serious limitation on the CEO of a developers’ lobby group.
• Bucci was Chief of Staff to Steve Clark, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing until April 2022, joined the OHBA as their CEO in June 2022, and was registered to lobby his former boss as of May 30, 2022.
• Developers with ties to Ford’s Conservatives snatched up undevelopable Greenbelt lands before Ford and Clark removed protections on November 3, 2022—including eight properties acquired between 2018 and 2022. With protections removed, the value of the properties has skyrocketed.
• One of the properties was purchased by Schickedanz Bros in 2000 for $9.3 million.
• It was then sold to a Michael Rice-helmed company on September 15, 2022 for $80 million as a “prime land banking opportunity.”
• Bob Schickedanz, the principal of Schickedanz, was President of OHBA and Bucci was CEO at the time of the sale, while Michael Rice is a prominent donor to the Ford Conservatives.
• The Integrity Commissioner is currently investigating Clark based on Stiles’ complaint, while the Auditor General is currently investigating the Conservatives’ decision to open the Greenbelt land up to development.