Ontario's Premier Accountability Dashboard · Queen's Park Watch
Mario Cortellucci
The Cortel Group
Estimated cost to Ontario
>$3.0B
President of The Cortel Group, one of Ontario's largest condominium and residential developers. Family members donated over $12,000 to Ford's 2018 PC leadership campaign. Cortellucci companies received six Ministerial Zoning Orders — more than any other single developer family — covering properties in Vaughan, Innisfil, and Caledon. A guest at the Ford family wedding, seated at the same table as Ford.
Connected Scandals
Ford's government issued more Minister's Zoning Orders (MZOs) in 2020 alone than the McGuinty and Wynne governments combined over 15 years — bypassing environmental reviews, municipal authority, and public consultation. Nearly half of all MZOs issued in Ford's first term benefited PC donors or party insiders. Key recipients include the DeGasperis family and Flato Developments, who received nine MZOs for thousands of homes on protected farmland.
Cortellucci-controlled companies received six MZOs, more than any other single developer family. Properties in Vaughan, Innisfil, and Caledon all received fast-track approvals. Cortellucci family donations to Ford's PC leadership totalled over $12,000. He was seated at Ford's table at the Ford family wedding alongside other MZO-recipient developers.