Ontarios Greenbelt-E-Mail Gate Scandal National National Lack of Transparency Prize

TorontoPresent April 30, 2025 / CNW/ – Doug Fords Ontario The government was selected as the recipient of the Provincial Code of Silence for outstanding achievements in the secrecy of state confidentiality because they continuously do not prevent high -ranking employees from using their personal e -mail accounts to also run public business.

In Nov. 2024The Toronto Star reported that a high -ranking employee of the Ford government is involved Ontario Greenbelt Scandal refused to hand over E -mails that may have been sent to other state employees and lobbyists who were interested in the development of the protected country by a personal e -mail account.

This year's Code of Silence Jury found this violation against Ontario In view of the fact, the freedom of information of freedom of information was particularly outrageous that Bonnie LyssykPresent Ontario General Auditor, defined in one August 2023 report That the use of non -state resources to carry out official government transactions was unacceptable.

The employee in the center of the controversy stepped down from his position after the General Auditor General report found that he did not comply with the best practices for bureaucrats.

“Communication between lobbyists and political employees who use their personal e -mail accounts also creates the perception of preferred access and treatment and thus an unfair advantage for those who receive non -authorized confidential information from political employees,” wrote Lyssyk in her report.

James L. TurkDirector of the Center for Free Expression Toronto Metropolitan University said that the prime minister of Ontario And his employees run public business from personal devices and accounts, flying the current FOI laws.

“All of this undermines the public rights of information Ontario Freedom of information legislation, “said Turk.” E -mails from a Ford government manager on his personal report can contain some answers to the controversy of the green area, but the government claimed that they have no “legal mechanism” in order to force the news back when the practice was exposed -conveniently the e -mails that shake from the public. “

This year's Code of Silence jury also agreed to give an dishonest mention to thirteen Saskatchewan Ministries Who ignored A Decision by the province of information to have the records published in a machine -readable format for the globe and email as part of its publication Secret Canada Project.

The Saskatchewan The government has announced that all the requested records are related to exceptions and “no changes to the province of the province to information legislation”.