Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner filed the complaint and says Ontarians deserve transparency about the decision because it appears to harm the environment for the benefit of private developers. “This doesn’t pass the smell test, that land speculators are buying land in the Greenbelt that is supposed to be permanently protected,” Schreiner said Tuesday. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark announced earlier this month that he is proposing to remove 7,400 acres from 15 different Greenbelt areas, while adding 9,400 acres elsewhere so 50,000 homes can be built. This is despite previous promises from Ford and Clark not to touch the Greenbelt. Media reports have suggested that some prominent developers who are donors to the Progressive Conservatives will benefit from the move. Some have bought that land in recent years, despite public announcements by Ford and Clark that it would not be developed, with one purchase taking place as recently as September, according to investigations by the CBC, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and the Narwhal. WATCHES | Coalition condemns plan to build homes in Ontario’s Greenbelt:
Coalition condemns plan to build homes in Ontario’s Greenbelt
A coalition of 200 groups and individuals has written a letter calling out the Ontario government over its plans to own tens of thousands of homes located in the province’s Greenbelt, a belt of protected green space and farmland. Clark was asked several times Tuesday, including during question period, if he had tipped off any developers that Greenbelt parcels would soon become much more valuable. When asked for a yes or no answer, he refused to deny the allegation. “Listen, I’m the housing minister, I meet people who want to build housing, whether it’s Habitat for Humanity, whether it’s Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, whether it’s private home builders building one house a year or 1,000 houses,” he said. “That’s what I do. I meet with people who want to make the dream of home ownership a reality for Ontarians.” Clark said he followed the rules for posting his Greenbelt proposal on the environmental register for a public comment period. This public comment period remains open until December 4. Michelle Reno, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario, confirmed in an email Tuesday that Schreiner made a request under Section 30 of the Members’ Integrity Act of 1994. Reno said the Green Party leader asked the commissioner to comment on whether a member broke the law or the Ontario Parliamentary Conference. “The matter is under review,” he said.
Minister’s answers sound ‘fishy’: NDP housing critic
NDP housing critic Jessica Bell, who questioned Clark in the legislature on Tuesday, said his answers sounded “fishy.” “I asked the minister very clearly, three times, if they talked to developers beforehand and gave them a heads-up before opening up land for development, Greenbelt land that Ontarians love,” he said after question period. “The minister has failed to answer the question. Ontarians want to know why.” The NDP also asked the auditor general to investigate. Ontario created the Greenbelt in 2005 to protect agricultural and environmentally sensitive lands in the Greater Golden Horseshoe from development.
