Mike Schreiner

The Ford government buried amendments inside the 2026 Budget Bill that would permanently exempt the Premier, all cabinet ministers, and their staff from freedom-of-information requests — retroactive to 1988 — nullifying every pending FOI request and active court case, including those seeking Doug Ford's personal cellphone records and Greenbelt-related emails. Ontario's own privacy watchdog publicly called three of Ford's stated justifications factually incorrect.

Schreiner was among the loudest legislative critics of the FIPPA overhaul. He issued a statement calling the Ford government's scheduling of a rare late-night sitting on April 22, 2026 a deliberate attempt to "ram the bill through while nobody was watching." He said: "Doug Ford thinks he's above the law — and he clearly has something to hide."

Ford's Bill 98 would permanently strip Ontario municipalities of the power to require EV charging, tree canopy, bird-friendly glass, and energy standards from developers — handing a legislative victory to RESCON, the industry lobby already suing Toronto in court over the same rules. Cities have already frozen new green standard programs in anticipation.

As Green Party leader, Schreiner publicly opposed Bill 98's removal of municipal green building authority, framing it as prioritizing fossil fuel industry profits over homebuyer affordability and climate resilience.