FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 April 2026
QUEEN’S PARK, ON. — Today, John Fraser, Ontario Liberal Interim Leader and Stephanie Smyth, Ontario Liberal Critic for Ethics, Integrity, and Accountability, issued the following statement responding to Doug Ford’s covert Albany Club appearance and his blocking of Greenbelt records:
If you’re a wealthy, well-connected insider, you get special access to Doug Ford, said Fraser.
While families struggle to make ends meet, Doug Ford is consumed by private events and private jets, said Fraser. If Doug Ford cared about people trying to find a job, pay rent, and buy groceries, he would never have bought a private jet with their money, and he certainly wouldn’t be spending so much time behind closed doors with wealthy, well-connected insiders, said Fraser.
All you need to do is pay thousands of dollars to become a member of an expensive, exclusive, conservative-minded club, and Doug Ford will make himself available to you. In Doug Ford’s Ontario, doing things on the up and up is optional – you don’t need to register to lobby this Premier, because if you’re willing to pay, you can influence the top decision-maker in the province without creating a single public record, Fraser continued.
Doug Ford is going back to where the Greenbelt began. Carving up the Greenbelt happened in a room just like this one – exclusive, members-only, behind closed doors, said Smyth.
What deals are being made this time around, asked Smyth. We will never know, because Doug Ford just destroyed our freedom of information laws.
We now know exactly how Doug Ford plans to wield his new power. Days before his government would have been required to hand over crucial Greenbelt records to journalists, Doug Ford rushed legislation through under the cover of night that would end freedom of information as we know it. Days later, those records – that Ontarians deserve to see – were off the table, said Smyth.
Doug Ford’s blind spots are growing bigger. What he no longer sees, Ontario Liberals see clearly. We’re focused on helping people get an education, a job, and a home – and building healthy and safe communities for all of us to thrive in, Fraser concluded.