Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner Finds That Housing Minister Steve Clark broke ethics rules for his role in the Ford government’s Greenbelt land swap

Brockville – Ontario’s integrity commissioner J. David Wake has released a 166-page report that states that the way the province went about removing 7,400 acres from the Greenbelt was “marked by misinterpretation, unnecessary hastiness and deception.”

He also has found that Housing Minister Steve Clark broke ethics rules for his role in the Ford government’s Greenbelt land swap.

From the report:

“Based on the evidence gathered in this inquiry, I conclude that Minister Clark breached sections 2 and 3(2) of the Act. Accordingly, I have recommended to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario that Minister Clark be reprimanded for his failure to comply with the Act.”

The integrity commissioner’s report also agreed with a previous, and equally damning, account from Ontario’s auditor general which suggested Ryan Amato, Clark’s recently resigned chief of staff, spearheaded the process. The responsibility for that, the integrity commissioner suggested, landed at the minister’s door.

From the report:

“The evidence paints a picture of a process marked by misinterpretation, unnecessary hastiness and deception. It shows that Mr. Amato advised Minister Clark to “leave it with me” as he embarked on a chaotic and almost reckless process that I find led to an uninformed and opaque decision that resulted in the creation of an opportunity to further the private interests of some developers improperly.”

The full report can be found here:
https://www.oico.on.ca/web/default/files/public/Commissioners%20Reports/Report%20Re%20Minister%20Clark%20-%20August%2030%2C%202023.pdf