Doug Ford still using personal phone as transparency battle over call log continues

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is continuing to springiness his individual compartment number to people, saying he will make authorities ministers and municipal leaders thief to reside their problems, moreover arsenic lawyers for nan premier conflict to support his telephone records concealed and reason they are not related to charismatic business.

The Ford government has been locked successful a conflict pinch Global News complete nan premier’s individual cellphone for much than a year, refusing to merchandise government-related records from nan instrumentality and arguing nan petition is simply a breach of privacy.

While that conflict has continued and grown successful beforehand of a provincial privateness watchdog — astir precocious pinch nan inclusion of lawyers for nan premier personally, not conscionable nan authorities — Ford has continued his very nationalist usage of his unofficial telephone number.

Most recently, astatine nan extremity of June, Ford publication his number retired during an quality astatine Toronto Pearson International Airport, urging anyone who “needs help” to matter aliases telephone his individual number.

“Get your cellphones retired because I’m going to springiness you my compartment number and this is going to spell connected TV,” nan premier said to a group of airdrome workers and gathered media.

“I get astir 300 messages each azygous time and I’ll do my very champion (to reply). You don’t person to matter me, ‘Great to spot you’ because it conscionable adds connected to my 300 messages. But if your family needs help, if you request help, your friends, your neighbours, immoderate it is, I grip everything.”

Ford went connected to explicate that erstwhile issues are raised pinch him connected his individual phone, he involves different levels of government, ministers successful his ain furniture and MPPs to activity connected solutions.

“Municipal issues, I walk it onto our municipal partners, national — our national partners person been fabulous and provincial issues I support each my MPPs and ministers going each time long,” he said.

The premier repeated a akin spiel astatine an Ontario Real Estate Association astatine nan extremity of 2023, reference his individual telephone number to a room filled pinch existent property manufacture figures.

The telephone number Ford publication retired astatine nan airdrome and astatine nan existent property arena is 1 that lawyers for some nan provincial authorities and nan premier himself are moving to artifact from release.

Since nan extremity of 2022, Global News has been engaged successful a transparency conflict pinch nan Ford authorities complete nan premier’s individual cellphone. Separate state of accusation requests revealed Ford’s authorities telephone was not utilized for astatine slightest 4 months successful 2021 and 2022, while nan premier has many times been filmed handing retired a individual telephone number.

Despite Ford utilizing his individual telephone for authorities work, a state of accusation petition to position 1 week of telephone logs for nan individual telephone number astatine nan tallness of an acquisition onslaught successful November 2022 was denied by nan government.

That petition was appealed and has been nan taxable of aggregate rounds of arguments successful beforehand of an adjudicator betwixt Global News and nan Cabinet Office, nan branch of authorities that manages records for nan premier’s office.

The authorities initially based on it was “speculative” and “hypothetical” to propose nan premier was utilizing his individual telephone for authorities business. Later, they acknowledged that “the premier’s individual compartment telephone number has been made publically disposable connected juncture and that he uses his individual compartment phone.”

Duff Conacher, co-founder of nan defense group Democracy Watch, said that because nan premier is “announcing wide and broadly” really to interaction his individual telephone number it should beryllium considered an charismatic phone.

“He’s offering that arsenic premier — arsenic a personnel of nan government,” he said. “So each nan calls, nan telephone logs and if personification contacted him by text, those texts are each nationalist records and nan nationalist has a correct to spot them.”

In nan autumn of 2023, lawyers for Ford personally were besides asked to taxable arguments to nan Ontario Information and Privacy Commission, nan province’s transparency watchdog.

It is unclear really galore hours authorities lawyers person devoted to withholding nan premier’s individual cellphone from publication, nor really overmuch that whitethorn person cost.

In consequence to a caller state of accusation petition from Global News, nan lawyer general’s agency said it had not retained immoderate outer lawyers to activity connected nan submissions for nan transparency battle. Officials would not opportunity really galore hours authorities lawyers had spent moving connected nan appeal.

Ford’s usage of his individual cellphone has sparked fury from guidance critics but has been vocally supported by immoderate successful his party.

At a caller committee hearing, Progressive Conservative House Leader Steve Clark said nan truth Ford hands his individual number to truthful galore group shows he is transparent.

“He’s nan astir transparent of immoderate premier successful nan history of this province,” Clark said astatine nan extremity of June. “Most group person his individual telephone number, he’s accessible.”

Conacher said Ford’s wide usage of his individual telephone should not beryllium accepted.

“The premier should not beryllium saying, by giving retired his individual number, that it’s OK to do this, that it’s OK to do authorities business connected a backstage device, a individual device.”

Global News antecedently reported that respective of Ford’s astir elder authorities ministers besides seldom utilized their activity devices — pinch no much than 20 minutes utilized by immoderate of nan selected ministers connected their activity devices complete a afloat month.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said nan premier was “fighting bony and nail” to support his individual telephone log secret.

“Whether it’s nan Greenbelt scandal, his schemes to unopen down nan Science Centre, aliases move Ontario Place into a mega spa, Ford’s first privilege is ever his insiders,” Stiles said.

“Ontarians merit existent transparency astir Doug’s telephone calls pinch his able insiders who are penning authorities policies.”

Bonnie Crombie, Ontario Liberal leader, said that “the only telephone calls Doug Ford picks up are nan ones from his rich | friends and insiders.”

Later successful July, Global News is expecting a determination from Ontario’s transparency watchdog complete nan adjacent steps successful nan cellphone appeal. The impending determination will not screen whether aliases not nan premier must merchandise his telephone log but will style nan rules astir really overmuch of nan conflict tin beryllium public.