Lawsuit accuses former Ford staffers of ‘backchannel contacts’ in alleged rezoning scheme

A suit alleging 2 erstwhile Progressive Conservative staffers offered to usage “backchannel contacts” to assistance rezone onshore whitethorn person created an opening for absorption leaders to effort and absorption Ontario’s predetermination campaign connected past authorities scandals.

A connection of assertion filed with a Toronto tribunal makes allegations astir Ryan Amato, who was main of unit to Steve Clark erstwhile the Ford authorities concisely removed onshore from the Greenbelt, and Shiv Raj, who worked successful the premier’s office.

The suit alleges the 2 men, on with a institution called Frontier Group, offered to assistance get rezoning support for respective parcels of onshore “using their backchannel contacts and governmental connections to facilitate and unafraid rezoning approvals for the Properties.”

According to the connection of claim, the men did not enactment earnestly connected the rezoning and alternatively allegedly undertook an “orchestrated conspiracy to defraud.”

The allegations, which person not been tested successful court, were first reported by The Trillium.

Amato and Raj’s lawyer said the connection of assertion “contains mendacious and baseless accusations.” The lawyer for Frontier Group besides said they program to support the allegations.

The plaintiffs successful the lawsuit, a Brampton antheral named Amanpreet Jakhar and 2 numbered companies, allege they met with Amato, Raj and a typical of Frontier, who told them they could assistance with a rezoning request.

“Shiv [Raj] and Ryan [Amato] falsely represented astatine the gathering that they had the acquisition and expertise to assistance successful obtaining a rezoning of the Properties and they would enactment with Frontier Group, utilizing their backchannel contacts and governmental connections to facilitate and unafraid rezoning approvals for the Properties,” the assertion alleges.

The parties came to an agreement, according to the claim, wherever the plaintiffs would wage $55,600 positive taxation monthly for assistance rezoning. The alleged statement included a program for meetings with the premier’s bureau and disclosure of their enactment connected the lobby registry, the assertion said.

The suit alleges Amato and Raj said the onshore could beryllium rezoned wrong 5 to 8 months.

“It was understood astatine the clip each Agreement was executed that Shiv and Ryan would beryllium assisting successful the rezoning of the Properties, and successful peculiar successful transportation with the scope of enactment involving their respective roles and contacts successful the Premier’s Office and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing,” the assertion reads.

Progress, however, was slow, according to the claim, which alleges determination was nary genuine effort to marque progress.

“The Plaintiffs authorities that the Defendants ne'er had immoderate volition to question oregon prosecute rezoning support of the Properties, but alternatively strung the Plaintiffs along,” the assertion argues.

In total, the assertion alleges that the plaintiffs paid Frontier Group $1.5 million.

The connection of assertion says the archetypal gathering took spot successful the summertime of 2023 but it is not wide if the alleged statement oregon different events took spot portion Amato and Raj were inactive successful their authorities roles.

The suit argues Amato, Raj and Frontier were negligent and breached their contract, among different claims. It seeks much than $2 cardinal successful damages.

The lawyer representing Amato and Raj vehemently denied the claims.

“The Statement of Claim contains mendacious and baseless accusations which bash not bespeak the precocious level of integrity and professionalism that Mr. Amato holds himself to,” the lawyer representing Amato and Raj said successful a connection to Global News.

“Mr. Amato has acted successful afloat compliance with the instrumentality and volition support immoderate claims to the contrary successful tribunal if called upon to bash so.”

An identical connection attributed to Raj denied the allegations utilizing the aforesaid wording and likewise promised to combat a tribunal conflict if necessary.

The ineligible typical for Frontier said they wouldn’t remark portion the allegations were successful beforehand of the court, adding: “Do support successful caput that the allegations successful the suit are simply that. My clients volition vigorously support the claim, arsenic necessary.”

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The allegations contained successful the connection of claim, and not proven successful court, person been jumped connected by Ford’s opponents.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles issued a connection claiming the allegations contained successful the suit were akin to questions astir however onshore was removed from, and past returned to, the Greenbelt.

“The different footwear dropped, and it is conscionable arsenic atrocious arsenic we thought,” she said.

“Time and clip again, Doug Ford has shown america who helium is — idiosyncratic who utilized his clip successful authorities to alteration billions of dollars’ worthy of corruption, oversee backroom deals to enrich insiders, and make a civilization of cash-for-access to merchantability disconnected our state for bags of cash.”

Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie started her remarks astatine a run lawsuit connected Thursday with notation to the lawsuit.

“It’s outrageous but it’s not surprising,” she said. “We knew each on that this is who Doug Ford truly is.”

Ford was asked astir the suit earlier successful the week and denied immoderate cognition of it.

“I’ve ne'er heard of this, archetypal clip I’ve heard of this,” Ford said connected Tuesday astatine a run lawsuit successful Ottawa.

“I don’t play those games, I absorption connected taking attraction of the people,” helium added, saying anyone who was blameworthy of inheritance dealing successful his authorities would beryllium “fired instantly” and said it “doesn’t happen” nether his watch.

In a connection to The Canadian Press Thursday, the PC run repeated the denial.

“The premier is unaware of this lawsuit, and the state has nary engagement successful it nor has it ever considered immoderate changes to these properties,” said Grace Lee, Ford’s run spokesperson.

Opposition parties besides utilized the suit to effort and marque the Greenbelt scandal, which dominated the summertime of 2023 and led to the resignation of 2 furniture ministers, an predetermination issue.

“The subordinate stops with Doug Ford,” Crombie said.

“Scandal aft ungraded aft ungraded nether his watch. We cognize that helium tried to springiness distant the Greenbelt to his affluent friends and buddies and we cognize that the RCMP is already investigating his authorities and we know, frankly, that’s wherefore we’re successful an aboriginal election.”

In precocious 2022, Clark announced the authorities would unfastened up the protected Greenbelt for improvement successful an effort to physique 50,000 homes. It was portion of Ford’s committedness to physique 1.5 cardinal homes by 2031.

The auditor wide said the tiny radical of developers stood to payment to the tune of $8.3 billion.

Opening up the Greenbelt sparked a nationalist outcry that deed a fever transportation successful the summertime of 2023.

Ford walked the determination backmost and returned those lands to the Greenbelt successful the autumn of 2023.

— with files from The Canadian Press