If You Can’t See It, You Can’t Stop It Why Ontario’s Democracy Is in Danger

If You Can’t See It, You Can’t Stop It Why Ontario’s Democracy Is in Danger When those in power decide the public no longer has the right to see their decisions, the first thing to disappear is trust. That is exactly what Ontario’s Conservative government is proposing with changes to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. If these changes pass, cabinet ministers, political staff, and even the premier’s office could operate entirely out of public view, hiding emails, messages, and communications from the citizens they are supposed to serve. This is not a small administrative change. This is a fundamental attack on democracy. The people making the decisions that shape land, finances, communities, and programs would be shielded from scrutiny. Citizens would have no way of knowing what deals are made, what advice is given, or who benefits. Decisions that should be public could vanish behind closed doors, leaving the public entirely in the dark. I am profoundly disappointed in Premier Doug Ford for even considering this. After scandals have already emerged under his government, one must ask: what is left to hide? What conversations with developers, lobbyists, and well-connected insiders are happening right now that the public will never see? Why would any government want to operate in secret unless they are avoiding accountability? Freedom-of-information requests are the only reason Ontarians know the truth about past scandals. Without them, we would never have discovered the Greenbelt scandal here in Pickering, where decisions about protected land enriched private interests. We would not have learned about the ArriveCAN contracts that raised troubling questions, or the WE Charity student grant program mismanagement. These were not minor missteps—they were decisions made in secrecy, affecting millions, and in some cases, benefiting private interests while the public paid the price. And make no mistake: without FOI laws, this pattern would continue unchecked. Ministers could meet, communicate, and direct policy behind closed doors, with no accountability. Citizens could never know if decisions are made for the public good or for special interests. That is not government. That is power without responsibility. That is corruption, in the broadest sense, and it is what transparency laws are designed to prevent. The problem is not limited to Queen’s Park. Across Ontario, citizens are using FOI requests to understand how their local governments operate. In Pickering, residents have challenged the city over incomplete responses, while record-retention policies are being changed, leaving citizens wondering what is being withheld and for how long. These are not abstract concerns. They are a warning about what happens when power is hidden from the people. Democracy does not survive in the shadows. Every conversation, every email, every note from a minister, every meeting with a developer or lobbyist should be accessible to the people who elected them. Public office is not private property. It is a public trust. If governments are making decisions in the public interest, why hide them? If there is nothing to hide, why reduce access to records? When transparency is limited, suspicion flourishes. When accountability disappears, corruption can thrive. And when citizens cannot see, they cannot stop it. Ontarians should not accept a system where power operates in secret. We deserve the right to ask questions, to see the evidence, and to hold those in power accountable. Every conversation that shapes policy, every deal that impacts communities, every decision that affects public funds belongs to the people. Not to ministers. Not to political staff. Not to special interests. The question we must all ask ourselves—and our government—is this: why are they hiding? What are they hoping we never see? And what else is happening behind those closed doors that will affect our communities, our land, and our lives? Because if the public cannot see it, they cannot stop it. And a government that the people cannot see is no longer a government for the people—it is a government for itself.