Doug Ford’s office says it is severing ‘formal’ ties with key aide amid Greenbelt scandal

The Globe and Mail and the Trillium reported Wednesday that Massoudi’s firm, Atlas Strategic Advisors Inc., received $237,300 in communications contracts from the Tories in 2022-23, according the annual public accounts.

“During his time in the premier’s office, Amin provided communications support and was the premier’s primary speech writer,” Ford’s office said in a statement Thursday.

“Amin was retained to provide these services for a period of time as he transitioned away from his long-time position. That contract has now ended and he has no formal role,” the office said.

Massoudi, who was not available for comment, was on a winter 2020 trip to Las Vegas with Kaleed Rasheed and Jae Truesdell where they went for massages with wealthy developer Shakir Rehmatullah, who owned Greenbelt lands.

Integrity commissioner J. David Wake has said he believes Rehmatullah was “more likely than not” tipped off by someone to the Tories’ plans to remove lands from the Greenbelt.

Wake was also misled by Rasheed over the timing of the Las Vegas vacation.

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Both Rasheed, who was a minister, and Truesdell, Ford’s housing policy adviser, stepped down from their jobs last week as the government scrapped the Greenbelt development plan.

While Massoudi will have “no formal role” in Ford’s inner circle, sources say he remains personally close to the premier.

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said the optics are bad for the government when a former staffer is still on the payroll.

“Either you’re in or you’re out, right? And when you’re out, you’re out. It just doesn’t look good. I mean, it doesn’t smell right,” said Fraser.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said “this is just one more example of the shady dealings of this government.”

“I’m sure there’s going to be more and more that we will be unearthing,” said Stiles.

Green Leader Mike Schreiner said it “seems like a conflict of interest” that Massoudi was doing work for the Tories while his firm may have been lobbying on the Greenbelt.

“I would say the whole last year has been about the Ford government giving sweetheart insider contracts to wealthy Ford-connected elites,” said Schreiner.