Ontario Premier’s Staff Chief Used Gmail for Official Work: Report

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s chief of staff routinely used his Gmail account for government-related communications, reports Global News.

This contradicts Sackville’s statements to Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner that he only used his official email for government work.

Global News reviewed numerous emails from Sackville’s Gmail account involving document sharing, stakeholder concerns, and communications strategies for the Premier’s Office. “I do not conduct government business on my personal e-mail,” Sackville told Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake.

In a letter to the commissioner, Sackville stated it would be “inappropriate” to mix government and personal emails and claimed he “only conducts government business on my Premier’s Office e-mail address.”

A spokesperson for the Premier’s Office confirmed the use of non-government platforms for some government-related business. “Google products like Google Docs have at times been used to support collaboration on materials or for political discussions,” the spokesperson said.

Political critics argue that these emails raise concerns about the Ford government compartmentalizing information to keep it out of public view. The Ontario NDP has called for Sackville’s resignation. “Mr. Sackville must resign immediately, and if he won’t, the premier must fire him,” said NDP Leader Marit Stiles.

Emails viewed by Global News span years, showing Sackville’s extensive use of his Gmail address for official discussions, despite his claims. Premier Doug Ford stated, “They should be using government-issued emails, it’s simple as that.”

What the problem with using Gmail for government work? Anyone trying to get access to emails through freedom of information requests will face barriers since the emails are on Google’s Gmail servers, and not part of the public domain.

Sackville’s emails included confidential policy discussions, suggesting private email use for government direction before moving to official channels. The Premier’s Office emphasized that decisions are ultimately provided through official government channels.

This isn’t the first time the Ontario government has faced scrutiny over the devices it uses for communications. Back in November, Global News similarly reported how official government phones saw minimal usage, ranging from 0 to 20 minutes. The government said it used other communication methods such as texting on iPads.