Now, these developers are going to court to dodge the auditor's general's questions
They benefited from Doug Ford’s Greenbelt land swap. Now, these developers are going to court to dodge the auditor’s general’s questions
Prominent developers say the auditor general’s demand for records and interviews are vague and overreach her authority.
By Sheila Wang, Investigative Reporter
Morgan Bocknek, Investigative Reporter
Toronto Star
Tue., July 11, 2023timer4 min. read
updateArticle was updated 37 mins ago
https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2023/07/11/they-benefitted-from-doug-fords-greenbelt-land-swap-now-these-developers-are-going-to-court-to-dodge-the-auditors-generals-questions.html
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Two developers who benefited from the Ford government’s controversial Greenbelt land swap have gone to court to fight the auditor general’s attempts to interview them as part of her investigation.
The prominent developers — Michael Rice and Silvio De Gasperis — have separately filed court applications to block or delay the auditor general’s order they be interviewed under oath and hand over relevant records.
In January, Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk launched a value-for-money audit into the government’s decision to open up nearly 3,000 hectares of the Greenbelt for housing development.
Her announcement came amid concerns developers were secretly tipped off about the government’s plans — an allegation Premier Doug Ford denies. Rice’s company bought two parcels of protected land in King Township for $80 million just weeks before they were among those opened up for development.
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