Former top Doug Ford staffer broke lobbying rules, integrity commissioner says

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Ontario’s integrity commissioner says a former top staffer to Premier Doug Ford broke lobbying rules.

Amin Massoudi now runs Atlas Strategic Advisors, but previously served as Ford’s principal secretary until 2022.

Integrity Commissioner Cathryn Motherwell’s office posted a notice of non-compliance on its website this week, saying Massoudi failed to comply with lobbying rules during a phone call in 2023.

The notice says Massoudi failed to register after lobbying a public office holder about a client request during a call.

The integrity commissioner says Massoudi knowingly placed the unidentified person in a potential conflict of interest because Massoudi had offered the same public office holder a ticket to a Toronto Raptors basketball game the previous day.

Massoudi says in a statement that it relates to a phone call with a mid-level staffer in a minister’s office, and when a topic arose that Massoudi was not a registered lobbyist on, he says he immediately informed the staff member and said a colleague would follow up.

“At the time, I believed this to be the appropriate way to handle the situation,” Massoudi wrote.

“This experience has been an invaluable learning opportunity. I take compliance with all relevant legislation extremely seriously. Over the last two years, I have taken concrete steps to strengthen internal compliance protocols and ensure nothing like this happens again.”