Greenbelt plan, which spurred Clark’s exit, is no more

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Published Sep 22, 2023  •  Last updated 5 hours ago  •  3 minute read

Former Ontario municipal affairs and housing minister Steve Clark, the MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, speaks at a media event at Brockville General Hospital on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 in Brockville, Ont. (RONALD ZAJAC/The Recorder and Times) jpg, BT, apsmc Article content

Premier Doug Ford made the right decision when reversing course on the controversial Greenbelt development plan, former housing minister Steve Clark said Friday.

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Clark, whose job while in cabinet included implementing the plan to swap out parts of the Greenbelt near Toronto in order to get more houses built, said Ford’s decision to scrap it altogether was consistent with his own admissions while still in cabinet.

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“The premier has apologized. I have too,” said Clark, the MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, adding the focus now is on building more homes in Ontario.

The implementation of the Greenbelt plan was a key element in the series of events leading to Clark’s departure from cabinet on Labour Day. The local MPP said abandoning the plan was a “caucus conversation,” and he was in the room when members discussed it in Niagara Falls on Wednesday.

Asked about his own thoughts regarding the scrapping of a plan that cost him so much politically, and the related resignation of Kaleed Rasheed, the minister of public and business service delivery, Clark insisted his mind is on other things.

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“My focus is solely on the riding,” said Clark.

“I’m quite happy with being at home and dealing with local issues.”

Ford said Thursday he was reversing his plan to open the protected Greenbelt lands for housing development and wouldn’t make any changes to the Greenbelt in the future.

“I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t touch the Greenbelt. I broke that promise, and for that, I’m very, very sorry,” Ford said.

“It was a mistake to open the Greenbelt. It was a mistake to establish a process that moved too fast. This process, it left too much room for some people to benefit over others. It caused people to question our motives. As a first step to earn back your trust, I’ll be reversing the changes we made and won’t make any changes to the Greenbelt in the future.”

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The fallout from the Greenbelt plan, including reports from the province’s auditor general and integrity commissioner concluding some developers had benefited from the move, led to Clark’s resignation as municipal affairs and housing minister.

The reports from the auditor general and integrity commissioner found that the process to select lands had been rushed and favoured certain developers. The property owners with land removed from the Greenbelt stand to see their land value rise by $8.3 billion, the auditor general found in her own Greenbelt investigation.

Clark’s political opponents in the riding were celebrating the premier’s about-face on the Greenbelt.

“The Premier finally did the right thing by reversing the Greenbelt land swap decision,” said Josh Bennett, Clark’s Liberal runner-up in the previous election, who has signaled a willingness to run again.

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“I fail to understand why it took him this long, but better late than never,” added Bennett. “The Greenbelt preserves farmland, wetlands, and waterways and was never needed for housing. Next the Premier needs to explain why he and his ministers allowed this to happen and how his government will deliver on much needed housing, which to date has been a failure, mired in incompetence and scandal.”

In a prepared statement, Steve Gabell, president of the Green Party’s Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes constituency association, also weighed in.

“The people of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes were among those who made their voices heard on this vital issue and I’d like to thank everyone who stood up to oppose this $8 billion giveaway by Ford and Clark,” said Gabell.

“We’ve seen the effect people power can have. Political decisions can be reversed,” added Gabell, who said local Greens will also continue to support opponents of an unrelated project, the building of a prison in Kemptville.

Clark said the province’s housing target of 1.5 million new homes by 2031 remains in place.

“Accepting the status quo isn’t going to make housing affordability any better for Ontarians,” he said.

With files from The Canadian Press

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