On Thursday, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford warned developers working on housing projects in the Greenbelt that he would not hesitate to take their properties out of the protected area.
Test me, please. Try me once more. At a separate press conference in Etobicoke, Ontario, Ford told reporters, “You’re going back into the Greenbelt.”
“Whoever you are, I don’t care. Guess what happens if you don’t follow the regulations, don’t start putting shovels in the ground, or don’t build homes? You’ve finished. The premier said, “You’re out of here.
One of the 15 sites chosen to be taken out of the Greenbelt in 2022 is the property at 765 and 775 Kingston Road East in Ajax, Ontario, which consists of both parcels. Despite continuous conversations, the plan to sell was never notified to the government, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing stated on Wednesday.
Housing Minister Steve Clark was found to have broken ethical laws in 2022 by Integrity commissioner J. David Wake in a report made public earlier on Wednesday.
As the person in charge of the housing file, Clark had the duty to oversee the procedure, which Wake described as “chaotic and almost reckless.”
The study described a “chaotic” decision-making process, according to which Clark wasn’t informed of the sites that would be taken out of the Greenbelt until the end of October, right before cabinet approved the decisions.
The 166-page study determined that Clark’s unwillingness to comply with these demands resulted in “the private interests of certain developers being furthered improperly.” According to the integrity commissioner, Clark broke two laws pertaining to insider knowledge use and conflicts of interest.
Ford avoided queries about Clark’s future on Thursday, saying only that his administration would “get it done,” in reference to the housing issue.
Minister Clark has my support. The onus is on me, Ford remarked. We’re going to finish it, even if some people might not like it.
After finding out that the land’s owners had secretly advertised it for sale to be utilized as a “business park” rather than for housing, Ford announced on Wednesday that he was beginning the process of restoring two parcels of land to the Greenbelt.
The next day, he added, “I did it with the other land. I fell off my chair when I heard it was up for sale for an industrial park.”
“I’m tired of playing silly games,”
