Presence of Developers with Special Interests at Ford Daughter’s Stag and Doe ‘Shatters Spirit of the Law’

Brock University expert says adhering to law not enough when it comes to politicians and finances

A News Release from Brock University in St. Catharines/Niagara

Posted February 16^th, 20223 on Niagara At Large

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is under criticism for having real estate developers attend a stag and doe event where they made monetary gifts to his daughter and future son-in-law.

Paul Dunn, Professor of Business Ethics in Brock University’s Goodman School of Business, says the optics of the situation must be considered alongside what is legal.

“Adhering to the letter of the law is rarely sufficient,” says Dunn. “Integrity means following its spirit.”

Dunn says the standards held by professional accountants are an example for others when considering the optics of their decisions.

When an accountant conducts an audit, if there is not independence, the audit opinion lacks credibility, he says.

“Consequently, if accountants think there may be the appearance of impropriety, then they should walk away, even from lucrative audits.”

While the Office of the Integrity Commissioner cleared the Premier of any wrongdoing, Dunn says Ford created the appearance of impropriety because government officials must be seen to be independent in “both fact and appearance.”

“He shattered the spirit of the law by including at his daughter’s stag and doe the developers who have a vested interest in currying the goodwill of the Premier,” says Dunn. “He was tried in the court of public opinion and found wanting.”

As the government attempts to recover from the incident, Dunn has a piece of advice for those wishing to maintain integrity in their corporate decisions.

“Integrity has a price, and the price is that it can’t be bought,” he says.

Brock University Professor of Business Ethics Paul Dunn is available for media interviews on the topic.

To watch a recent Global News  broadcast  on this issue, click on the link below –https://globalnews.ca/video/9487342/ontario-ndp-leader-weighs-in-on-fords-stag-and-doe-party/ 

The Following is A Separate Statement Released by Ontario’s Green Party – 

Stand Up Against Ford’s Plan to Bulldoze Ahead with Carving Up Ontario’s Greenbelt

A Call-Out from the Green Party of Ontario

(Earlier this February), we learned that multiple developers who stand to benefit from the government’s Greenbelt land swaps attended Ford family events and gave money to the Premier’s family members in the leadup to his daughter’s wedding.

Since then, Doug Ford has repeatedly refused to own up to the obvious and troubling ethical implications of this news, avoiding the topic at every turn.

Something is wrong here. The circumstances surrounding Ford’s decisions to carve up the Greenbelt were already suspicious – but now it’s plain to see that this move puts private interests before public good.

Ontario Greens leader Mike Schreiner spent much of last week speaking with community members and municipal leaders in Muskoka Prince EdwardCounty and Hamilton about the disastrous impacts of Bill 23 – from its expensive, pro-sprawl agenda to its threats to conservation authorities, farmlands, wetlands and our Greenbelt.

The consensus was clear. SPRAWLING ONTO THE GREENBELT IS NOT NECESSARY TO BUILD THE 1.5 MILLION HOMES ONTARIO NEEDS.

Municipalities know that we can build that housing within existing urban boundaries; that our farmlands and wetlands provide vital environmental and economic benefits to our province; that conservation authorities makeour communities stronger, safer and better prepared for the future.

Yet Ford continues to bulldoze ahead with a plan that’s designed to help a handful of wealthy land speculators turn millions into billions.

Tell Ford to keep his hands off the Greenbelt.

Ford has betrayed the public trust, destroyed public confidence in the government and eroded the integrity of the Premier’s office. If he hopes to retain a shred of credibility, he must reverse course on his Greenbelt land grab and repeal Bill 23 immediately.

With the legislature set to return next week, we need to keep the pressure up]. Join us in calling on Ford to keep his hands off the Greenbelt and invest in livable and affordable communities connected by transit that protect nature and crush climate pollution.

• Sincerely, Ontario Greens

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