An Ontario court says it is reasonable to conclude Premier Doug Ford uses his personal cellphone to communicate and that he should make those records public.
globalnews.ca
A panel of three judges has thrown out an attempt by the province to stop the release of government calls on Premier
Doug Ford’s personal cellphone, agreeing with Ontario’s transparency watchdog that they should be made public.
More than three years ago, Global News filed a
freedom of information request seeking access to government-related calls on Ford’s personal phone,
a number he regularly publicizes, while
his official device is unused.
The request was denied by the government. Global News appealed the decision to the Information and Privacy Commission.
At the tail end of 2024, the IPC issued two rulings
siding with the Global News freedom of information request and another similar appeal from an Ontario doctor seeking access to calls made on Ford’s personal cellphone.
The ruling concluded that some of the contents of the call logs on Ford’s personal phone “relate to a department or government business matter” and told the government to begin preparing to release those calls.
The Ford government, however, filed a request for a judicial review, asking an Ontario court to overrule the IPC. Arguments in the judicial review were heard last month, on Dec. 10.
Lawyers for the Ontario government and Doug Ford himself said the landmark decision was a “make-work project” that entertained irrelevant and unreliable evidence.
A lawyer representing the Ontario doctor and another for the IPC said the decision was correct and allowing the premier to “shield” his communications from transparency by using his personal phone would “undermine” democracy in the province.
Less than three weeks after hearing the arguments, the panel of three Ontario judges batted away the government’s request for a judicial review, ruling the IPC’s decision was correct and should stand.
“The conclusion that the Premier used his personal cellphone to conduct Cabinet Office matters is a finding of fact that attracts a high degree of deference,” part of the decision read, released on Dec. 29, read.
“The inference that the Premier used his personal phone for government business was a reasonable inference from other proven facts and the totality of the evidence that was available to the Adjudicator.”
In their 16-page ruling, the panel of three Ontario judges disagreed with arguments from the government and the legal team representing Ford personally.
The decision emphasized the importance of freedom of information laws to ensure transparency and accountability, cautioning against ways in which politicians could change how they communicate to avoid scrutiny.
“It is now widely accepted that access to government information laws are vital tools of democratic practice, contributing to transparency, accountability and meaningful participation in public debate and political decision-making,” the panel wrote.
“The Decisions raise the important question of whether shielding phone logs from a personal cellphone that relate to departmental matters from public access would undermine the purposes of FIPPA”
Ford’s lawyers had argued accessing the personal phone records would be an invasion of privacy.
They said there had “never been an order such as this” from the IPC, arguing the data in the call logs would not offer any information in the public interest, but would instead “invite speculation, gossip and innuendo” and be a “springboard for misinformation.”
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Politics
Ontario court rules Doug Ford must turn over personal phone records
By Isaac Callan & Colin D'Mello Global News
Posted January 5, 2026 6:00 am
5 min read
The call logs of Ontario Premier Doug Ford's private cellphone are one step closer to being released to the public, after the province lost a major transparency battle over the government business conducted on the premier’s personal device. Global News' Queen's Park Bureau Chief Colin D'Mello reports – Jan 13, 2025
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A panel of three judges has thrown out an attempt by the province to stop the release of government calls on Premier Doug Ford’s personal cellphone, agreeing with Ontario’s transparency watchdog that they should be made public.
More than three years ago, Global News filed a freedom of information request seeking access to government-related calls on Ford’s personal phone, a number he regularly publicizes, while his official device is unused.
The request was denied by the government. Global News appealed the decision to the Information and Privacy Commission.
At the tail end of 2024, the IPC issued two rulings siding with the Global News freedom of information request and another similar appeal from an Ontario doctor seeking access to calls made on Ford’s personal cellphone.
The ruling concluded that some of the contents of the call logs on Ford’s personal phone “relate to a department or government business matter” and told the government to begin preparing to release those calls.
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The Ford government, however, filed a request for a judicial review, asking an Ontario court to overrule the IPC. Arguments in the judicial review were heard last month, on Dec. 10.
Lawyers for the Ontario government and Doug Ford himself said the landmark decision was a “make-work project” that entertained irrelevant and unreliable evidence.
A lawyer representing the Ontario doctor and another for the IPC said the decision was correct and allowing the premier to “shield” his communications from transparency by using his personal phone would “undermine” democracy in the province.
Less than three weeks after hearing the arguments, the panel of three Ontario judges batted away the government’s request for a judicial review, ruling the IPC’s decision was correct and should stand.
“The conclusion that the Premier used his personal cellphone to conduct Cabinet Office matters is a finding of fact that attracts a high degree of deference,” part of the decision read, released on Dec. 29, read.
“The inference that the Premier used his personal phone for government business was a reasonable inference from other proven facts and the totality of the evidence that was available to the Adjudicator.”
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The premier’s office said it is “seeking leave” to appeal the decision.
Click to play video: 'Doug Ford weighs in on battle to keep his cellphone records secret'
2:58
Doug Ford weighs in on battle to keep his cellphone records secret
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The purpose of transparency laws
In their 16-page ruling, the panel of three Ontario judges disagreed with arguments from the government and the legal team representing Ford personally.
The decision emphasized the importance of freedom of information laws to ensure transparency and accountability, cautioning against ways in which politicians could change how they communicate to avoid scrutiny.
“It is now widely accepted that access to government information laws are vital tools of democratic practice, contributing to transparency, accountability and meaningful participation in public debate and political decision-making,” the panel wrote.
“The Decisions raise the important question of whether shielding phone logs from a personal cellphone that relate to departmental matters from public access would undermine the purposes of FIPPA”
Ford’s lawyers had argued accessing the personal phone records would be an invasion of privacy.
They said there had “never been an order such as this” from the IPC, arguing the data in the call logs would not offer any information in the public interest, but would instead “invite speculation, gossip and innuendo” and be a “springboard for misinformation.”
The judges disagreed, saying the IPC’s 2024 decision had established a “coherent and rational connection” between the evidence presented and the conclusion Ford uses his personal phone for government business.
“The Decisions are transparent, intelligible and justified,” the judges’ ruling said. “There is no basis on which this court should intervene.”
The panel pointed out Ford had chosen not to submit an affidavit swearing he does not use his personal phone for government business, a relatively common practice in IPC appeals.
“In many of the other IPC cases cited by the AG and the Premier, the government respondent submitted an affidavit,” the decision said. “The Premier was not required to submit an affidavit, but he clearly knew the case to meet.”
During the appeal and the judicial review, representatives of the government and the premier argued it would be impossible and unreasonable to go through years-old call logs to work out who Ford may have spoken to in previous years.
www.thestar.com
