Ontario Premier’s Chief Used Personal Email for Official Business

May 27, 2024 – Patrick Sackville, Chief of Staff to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, routinely utilized a personal email address for government-related communications, contradicting his previous statements to Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner, Global News has learned.

Global News has reviewed dozens of emails sent and received from Sackville’s Gmail account, revealing its use for sharing documents, addressing stakeholder concerns, and crafting communications strategies on behalf of the Premier’s Office. This directly contradicts Sackville’s assertion to Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake that he does not conduct government business on his personal email.

In a letter to Commissioner Wake earlier this year, Sackville claimed it would be “inappropriate” to mix government and personal email, insisting that he only uses his Premier’s Office email for official business. Despite Sackville’s lack of response to requests for comment, a spokesperson for the Premier’s Office confirmed the use of non-government platforms for certain tasks.

“Patrick Sackville has invited you to edit the following document,” reads one email, granting access to a funding-related policy measure.

“Google products like Google Docs have at times been used to support collaboration on materials or for political discussions,” the spokesperson said in a statement to Global News. They asserted that all materials have corresponding records on government networks, and decisions are always communicated through official channels.

Political critics argue that the emails raise concerns about whether the Ford government is compartmentalizing information to avoid public scrutiny. They also question whether Sackville has withheld information relevant to ongoing Greenbelt investigations.

The emails viewed by Global News reveal that Sackville’s Gmail account was extensively used for political discussions and government business during his tenure in various roles, including Executive Director of Policy, Principal Secretary, and Chief of Staff. Recipients of the emails, including MPPs, chiefs of staff, policy advisors, and other high-level employees, suggest that the communications were related to his official duties.

Some emails included discussions on confidential government policies long before public announcements, indicating that private emails were used to iron out details before transitioning to government email addresses. Examples reviewed by Global News also showed Sackville sharing Google Slide decks and Google Docs for policy and legislative input.

Despite the government’s claim that decisions are made through official channels, Global News found instances where Sackville appeared to greenlight policy via Gmail.