The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced on Tuesday that it has launched a criminal investigation into the land exchange scandal involving Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Following a referral from the Ontario Provincial Police, the Sensitive and International Investigations Unit (SII) of the RCMP is investigating allegations related to the Ontario government's decision to open portions of the Greenbelt for development.

The police have a duty to protect the integrity of their investigations to ensure that the process leads to a fair and sound outcome. Therefore, no further updates can be provided at this time.

Last month, Ford withdrew his plan to remove large areas of land from the protected Greenbelt after weeks of public pressure and the resignation of two ministers.

It is also noted that in 2022, the Ontario government removed some land from the Greenbelt as part of its desire to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. Two legislative oversight bodies found that the selection process for the lands to be removed from the Greenbelt had flaws and favored certain developers.

The criminal investigation follows a statement from the Ontario Provincial Police in August that the police asked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to decide whether an investigation was necessary to avoid any potential conflict of interest.