Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says the government’s decision to open the protected Greenbelt ”favoured” developers who had connections to staff within the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Fifteen sites were removed from the Greenbelt last year as part of the conservative government’s plan to build 50-thousand homes.

Premier Doug Ford and Steve Clark have both denied tipping off developers before making the announcement public last year.

Lysyk’s report stated that 14 of the 15 parcels were ”brought to the exercise” by Clark’s chief of staff, and that developers could see a more than $8-billion increase in property value.

She also said the government failed to consider the environmental, agricultural, and financial impacts of the move.