Opposition politicians say the document dump shows the premier was in the loop
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted exclusively to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
The opposition parties at Queen’s Park pounced immediately, saying the documents prove the premier was involved in the controversial decisions that would have enriched developers with ties to the government, had they not been walked back this fall. It said then-mayor of Hamilton Fred Eisenberger and "Joseph Mancinelli" were also in attendance. The Canadian head of LiUNA — a construction union that is a strong supporter of the Ford government in Ontario — is named Joseph Mancinelli, but the union denied Monday that he took part in this meeting.
It says they “met and discussed the justification for the addition of the lands to the Fruitland-Winona Secondary Plan, siting the error in the mapping of the subject lands when the Greenbelt was initiated. Ryan Amato, the key staffer involved in the doomed Greenbelt plan, at one point texted a colleague to say, “The premier needs to stop calling this guy,” referring to Manchia.
Manchia, however, said he’s met the premier five or six times, including holding a fundraiser in September 2021 — the same month as the meeting described in the document — for PC MPP Donna Skelly at his home. He said 50 to 70 people came and Ford “dropped in” in person. "As noted by both the Auditor General and the Integrity Commissioner, neither the premier or the premier’s office was part of any specific site selection," said Caitlin Clark. "This particular proposal for removal had long-standing support from the local municipality, including a letter from the then-mayor of Hamilton as well as a council resolution.”‘Keep your mouth shut’ Other tidbits from the report deal with the government’s communications plans.
Under a heading titled “Comms,” a handwritten note reads, “in for a rough ride, hold the line ‘it’s all about housing.’”
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