Ford defends stag and doe party with $150 admission fee, calling questions ‘ridiculous’

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford defended a pre-wedding fundraiser held for his daughter at his family home last summer as “a regular stag” with a $150 ticket price but declined to reveal the extent of contributions by developers.

The Premier described reporters’ questions about how much money had been raised from developers as “absolutely ridiculous.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” he said on Wednesday. “You’ve known us for years. No one can influence the Fords. No one.”

A ticket for the August event, obtained by The Globe and Mail, says the $150 price includes “door prizes & great food.” Stag and doe parties are held to raise money to help offset wedding costs.

Mr. Ford’s connections to the development industry have been under the microscope in recent months, after he broke past promises by announcing plans to allow homes to be built in parts of protected Greenbelt lands around the Greater Toronto Area.

The stag and doe was revealed last week by Global News, which reported that developers and lobbyists were invited to the event, and that guests were asked to purchase tickets and also donate money to the couple.

Mr. Ford said “the boys” took care of the event, adding that “the place was packed full of police officers” given that three of his four daughters are in relationships with officers. A spokeswoman for Mr. Ford later said “the boys” was a reference to the Premier’s daughter’s then-fiancé, who is a policeman, and his friends.

Mr. Ford has declined to identify which developers attended the party. He said his daughter is a private citizen, and he doesn’t get involved in her personal life.

“I know the rules. I’ve been in politics for years,” he said. “We’ve known tens of thousands of people over the years and I don’t sit there with a checklist as they’re coming through the door.”

Campbell Clark: No, Mr. Ford, it’s not okay to host a party where developers come with cash

Mr. Ford approached the province’s Integrity Commissioner, J. David Wake, after a reporter contacted his office last month regarding developers who attended his daughter’s subsequent wedding and who may have also attended the stag-and-doe party.

Mr. Ford and his staff told Mr. Wake that the developers are friends of the Ford family, some going back decades, said Michelle Renaud, a spokesperson for the Integrity Commissioner.

Mr. Wake concluded, based on information provided by the Premier and his staff, that there was “nothing to indicate non-compliance” with the Members’ Integrity Act, which bans MPPs from receiving gifts or fees related to their duties as an MPP, Ms. Renaud said in an e-mail last week. Mr. Ford’s office said he “had no knowledge of gifts given to his daughter and son-in-law” and government business was not discussed at either event, she said.

The NDP is preparing a complaint to the Integrity Commissioner about the stag-and-doe party and wedding, spokeswoman Erica Wallis said.

Mr. Ford’s government announced in November that it would open 3,000 hectares of Greenbelt land to build up to 50,000 homes, while adding 3,800 hectares of land elsewhere to the protected area.

The Globe and Mail and other media outlets have reported that some of the land taken out of the Greenbelt changed hands as recently as last September. Mr. Ford and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark have denied tipping off developers in advance of the announcement.

The Integrity Commissioner has already launched a separate investigation into whether Mr. Clark violated rules that forbid MPPs from revealing inside information or making decisions to benefit a private individual. The province’s Auditor-General is also investigating. The Ontario Provincial Police have said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after receiving complaints.

With a report from Jeff Gray