The Ontario government is backtracking on its latest proposed incursion into the Greenbelt, reversing a plan to allow development in an area northwest of Toronto amid increasing scrutiny, including a police review, of a separate carveout from the protected area announced late last year.
The abrupt change comes as Premier Doug Ford faces scrutiny for allowing development on 3,000 hectares of the Greenbelt, breaking a promise to permanently protect farmland, forests and wetlands around the Greater Toronto Area. The province’s Auditor-General concluded in a report this month that a government decision to open parts of the Greenbelt to housing construction favoured a handful of developers and handed them a potential $8-billion windfall.
The developers who own the property drafted the MZO, not bureaucrats in the Housing Minister’s office. “Through the consultation process it was brought to our attention that the amendment – as submitted by the proponent – contained a section of lands located within the Greenbelt.” “They see their role as working for developers and not for the people of Ontario,” said Jeff Burch, a New Democrat MPP.
The Town of Caledon noted in its announcement for Thursday’s public meeting that it did not request the MZO from the province. Even with the Greenbelt portions removed, the town’s planning officials, many councillors and residents are not happy.
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