Bombshell news of RCMP probe means Ford’s political crisis is far from over

Mounties have greater ability to pose tough questions to developers than AG, integrity watchdog

Busted.

Hoisted — on his own petard. Doug Ford won power five years ago by condemning the last Liberal government as corrupt. Today, as premier, he presides over a Progressive Conservative government under investigation for criminal corruption.

By conditioning the people of Ontario to assume the worst about other politicians, Ford worsened his own political credibility. Now, he has none.

Tuesday’s bombshell from the RCMP — announcing that its “sensitive and international investigations” team is on the case — puts Ford’s entire government in the dock.

Bad enough that he betrayed his electoral promise to leave the Greenbelt untouched by serving up an $8.28-billion windfall for favoured developers. Now, Ford must not only prove himself to the public, he must clear his government for the police.

This is where we normally remind readers that a police probe does not automatically lead to charges from prosecutors. A court of law weighs the evidence and arguments before rendering a verdict — innocent until proven guilty — and Ford is not the sole target of the investigation.

But the way we judge Ontario politicians has changed irrevocably since the last change of government. Ford’s Tories wilfully rewrote the rules of fair play when they falsely accused his predecessor, Kathleen Wynne, of enriching her fellow Liberals with public funds.

They set up a Tory-dominated legislative committee — a kangaroo court of their own making — to smear her, only to cover themselves in slime. Now, they are mired in muck of their own making.

This police investigation and any prosecution will hang over the Ford government in the next few years leading up to the 2026 election. Ford’s self-proclaimed corruption fighters are now fighting for their own political survival.

Make no mistake about the high stakes. The potential for political damage and criminal liability cannot be underestimated.

Recall that the Ontario Provincial Police had a first look before handing it off to the federal Mounties to avoid any conflict of interest or awkward tensions (an OPP security detail protects the premier). On a second look, the RCMP announced in a formal statement this week that it merited even closer scrutiny:

“Following a referral from the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP ‘O’ Division’s Sensitive and International Investigations (SII) unit has now launched an investigation into allegations associated to the decision from the province of Ontario to open parts of the Greenbelt for development.”

The Mounties will feel unconflicted and unconstrained in comparison to the OPP. But it almost didn’t get this far. Remember that one of Ford’s most controversial moves early on was to push for his longtime family friend, Ron Taverner, as commissioner of the OPP — despite lacking the formal qualifications required for the post. Taverner’s name was withdrawn after a public outcry, but imagine if he’d been in the top job when the Greenbelt scandal crossed his desk.

Now, as first reported by the Star Tuesday, it’s in the hands of the RCMP. The probe will build on the work of two legislative watchdogs that investigated the Greenbelt mess over the summer.

The findings of Ontario’s integrity commissioner and auditor general were devastating for the Ford government, sparking two cabinet resignations and the departures of senior staff. Yet both of these nonpartisan agencies had had limited ability to compel sworn testimony from some of the major players in the scandal.

Developers who stood to profit massively from Ford’s bulldozing of the Greenbelt refused questioning from the auditor, who later met with the OPP to share her initial findings. While some developers spoke to the integrity commissioner, it was entirely of their own volition without fear of incrimination.

By contrast, the police will have far more ability to pose tough questions to developers about suspicions that some were tipped off by insiders to buy up protected lands in the Greenbelt before the Ford government left them unprotected. Even if their lawyers are vetting their answers, the developers will want to clear the air in a criminal investigation, as opposed to ducking an auditor.

More to the point, police can obtain search warrants to follow the money and track the email trail. It’s one thing to ignore a request from a legislative watchdog to throw them off the scent, but quite another to tell the police to take a hike.

It has been a long and winding road for the developers who wield power, and the politicians who occupy power.

Ford first gave away the game — and the Greenbelt — in a private meeting with supporters in 2018, promising he’d open it up for development. When that vow became public, he disavowed it by pledging to leave the Greenbelt untouched — until reversing himself last year on the pretext that he needed to break ground (and a promise) in order to build new homes.

The developers finally got what they wanted. But be careful what you wish for, and be mindful of your windfalls.

A public backlash over the botched process — developers and insiders were “favoured” in the secretive selection process that freed up previously restricted lands — forced Ford to back down once again. The premier and the developers were counting on his climbdown to spare them any more awkward questions.

To the contrary. The police questions are just beginning, and the legal answers are a long way off.

In politics, that is the worst of all worlds.

One of Doug Ford’s most controversial moves early on was to push for his family friend, Ron Taverner, as commissioner of the OPP — despite lacking the formal qualifications required for the post. Imagine if he’d been in the top job when the Greenbelt scandal crossed his desk