In his 2018 mandate letter to Steve Clark, exclusively obtained by Global News, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the Greenbelt must be protected.
and instead Clark was explicitly instructed to protect the 2-million acres of land around the Greater Toronto Area.
In the build-up to the 2018 provincial election, Ford was forced to alter his campaign after touching what could be considered one of the third rails of Ontario politics: the Greenbelt.In February of that year, Ford was recorded on video promising his government would “open up a big chunk” of the Greenbelt for affordable housing developments.
Senior staff to the premier recently testified to the integrity commissioner that they were always aware that the Greenbelt was a “lever to pull” in order to build more housing and that the government decided to use the option after sluggish housing starts in early 2022. Clark resigned as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in September 2023, saying his role in the Greenbelt scandal had become a distraction for the government.In addition to reviewing official growth plans, Premier Ford also instructed Clark to target renters in Ontario.
Steve Clark, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing speaks to journalists at the Queens Park Legislature, in Toronto on Wednesday, November 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young.Premier Doug Ford’s mandate letter to Clark also reveals that the government wanted to usher in a strong mayor system years before it actually formalized the policy, in the middle of a municipal election.
After the election, the government enhanced those powers to give mayors the ability to push files through city council with just one-third support — which critics decried as anti-democratic. The housing sector has seen many fundamental changes in recent memory. Review these changes to ensure that they are fulfilling their stated purpose without having a negative effect on housing supply.
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