RCMP takes over Greenbelt probe
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced on Wednesday that it would assess the available information about Doug Ford’s Greenbelt dealings and “determine whether to launch an investigation.” The Ontario Provincial Police, which in January began looking into complaints about the Ford government’s move to open up protected land for development, referred the matter to the RCMP to “avoid any potential perceived conflict of interest.”
On August 9, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk released a report that called the government’s process for selecting which land to free up for housing “biased in favour of certain developers and landowners.” The political staffer most intimately involved in that process, Ryan Amato, tendered his resignation on Tuesday as chief of staff to Housing Minister Steve Clark.
Social-media training for Jordan Peterson
A provincial court has ruled that the College of Psychologists of Ontario was within its rights to order psychologist and self-help author Jordan Peterson to undergo social-media training. The regulatory body handed down the order in November 2022, after having received a number of complaints pertaining to the lobster enthusiast’s “degrading” comments about women, trans people, and others.
Peterson filed for a judicial review, contending that his comments constituted “off-duty opinions” and did not fall within the scope of the college’s remit. The court’s decision, however, states that “Peterson cannot have it both ways: he cannot speak as a member of a regulated profession without taking responsibility for the risk of harm that flows from him speaking in that trusted capacity.”
Striking grocery workers
It’s been nearly a month since thousands of Unifor workers at 27 Metro supermarkets throughout the Greater Toronto Area went on strike. Now, the Toronto Star reports that the strikers have begun picketing at two of the chain’s distribution warehouses in Etobicoke. A spokesperson for the company noted that “the distribution centres … are not on strike, and their operations, which are critical, should not be interfered with.”
Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, told picketers on Wednesday: “In case this employer was not getting the message before today, they’re getting it now.” Among other issues, the workers are fighting to have their early-pandemic “hero pay” of $2 an hour reinstated.
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