Greenbelt scandal

This article is part of
a series about
Doug Ford

Shortly before the 2018 Ontario general election, a leaked video of Progressive Conservative Party politician Doug Ford showed him promising that he would "open up a big chunk of the Greenbelt," a nature reserve in Southern Ontario's Golden Horseshoe region, to real estate developers.[1] In response to widespread criticism, Ford claimed that he had reversed his position and would not modify the area.[2]

Following a successful re-election campaign in the 2022 Ontario general election, Ford used his authority as Premier of Ontario to shift 7,400 acres outside the Greenbelt reserve, while adding 9,400 acres of land into the environmentally protected area in December 2022.[3] The decision led to a political scandal, as some real estate developers had purchased property in the Greenbelt reserve shortly before the changes were announced.[4] Furthermore, some of the implicated developers had attended Ford's daughter's August 2022 pre-wedding party, which Ford defended based on the preclearance he had received from the province's Integrity Commissioner in January 2022.[5][6]

The Ontario Provincial Police transferred its anti-racketeering investigation to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in August 2023 to avoid a conflict of interest.[7][8] In October 2023, the RCMP announced they were opening a criminal investigation into whether Ford's changes corruptly favored certain developers.[9]

In August 2023, the Auditor General of Ontario released a report detailing how the provincial government's approvals had favoured certain developers that stood to earn over $8 billion, while failing to consider the developments' environmental, agricultural, and financial impacts.[10][11]

Housing Minister Steve Clark resigned in September 2023 after the province's Integrity Commissioner concluded that he had violated ethics rules in his approvals of real estate development projects.[12][13] While announcing his resignation, he resisted calls from First Nations representatives seeking traditional territories to be returned to the Greenbelt.[14] Later that month, Public and Business Service Delivery Minister Kaleed Rasheed resigned over his relationship with a developer involved in the Greenbelt scandal.[15] Clark and Rasheed's resignations led Ford to reverse his changes, announcing that he would instead encourage building within existing urban areas.[16]

In October 2023, Clark's successor as Housing Minister, Paul Calandra, introduced a bill to restore the Greenbelt's original boundaries and require future changes to be approved by the Ontario Legislative Assembly, which was passed in December 2023.[17][18]

Before Doug Ford reversed the approvals for real estate development, seven companies owned by the De Gasperis family, including Tacc Construction, Arista Homes, and Leslie Elgin Developments, had planned to build in Richmond Hill, Ontario.[19][20][21] President Michal Rice of Green Lane Bathurst planned to begin building in King, Ontario,[22][23] President Marcelo Perez-Hassaf of Torca II announced construction projects in Stouffville through their 2502536 Ontario numbered company, Flato Upper Markham Village and Minotar Holdings held sites in Markham,[24] President Peter Tanenbaum of Nash Road Developments announced construction projects in Clarington, and a Chinese firm based in Fuyang announced plans to build in Ajax.[20]

  1. ^ "Video shows Doug Ford saying he would open up 'big chunk' of Toronto-area Greenbelt for housing development". National Post. The Canadian Press. April 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Callan, Isaac; D'Mello, Collin. "What did Doug Ford say about the Greenbelt? A timeline of the premier's promises". Global News. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Ontario just got 14,000 hectares of land to develop — so why does Doug Ford want the Greenbelt too?". November 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  4. ^ "Ontario premier won't back away from plans to build on protected Greenbelt". cbc.ca. August 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "'Absolutely ridiculous': Ford rebukes questions on daughter's stag attended by developers". Toronto. February 15, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "Integrity commissioner clears Doug Ford after developers attend daughter's stag and doe | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  7. ^ Jones, Allison (18 January 2023). "Ontario's Integrity Commissioner, Auditor General Launching Greenbelt Investigations". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  8. ^ O'Brien, Abby (August 23, 2023). "RCMP probing Ford government's handling of the Greenbelt". CTV News.
  9. ^ Jabakhanji, Sara (October 10, 2023). "RCMP investigating Ontario government's plan to open Greenbelt land for development". CBC News.
  10. ^ "Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt" (PDF). Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. August 2023.
  11. ^ Bond, Meredith; D'Cunha, Patricia (August 9, 2023). "Ford government favoured developers, Greenbelt land not needed for housing target: Auditor general". CityNews Everywhere.
  12. ^ Callan, Isaac; D'Mello, Collin (September 4, 2023). "Ontario housing minister resigns amid Greenbelt land swap scandal". GlobalNews.ca.
  13. ^ "Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will 're-evaluate' more Greenbelt lands". September 5, 2023.
  14. ^ Casey, Liam. "Ontario chiefs unanimously oppose province's Greenbelt land swap". Globalnews.ca. The Canadian Press.
  15. ^ "Ontario minister resigns from Ontario PC Party amid contradicting accounts of Las Vegas trip". September 20, 2023.
  16. ^ Bureau, Rob Ferguson, Robert Benzie and Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park (2023-09-21). "Doug Ford cancels controversial $8.28-billion Greenbelt land swap: 'It was a mistake'". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2023-09-22. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Ontario tables bill to return Greenbelt land". ctvnews.ca. October 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "Bill 136, Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  19. ^ Jones, Ryan Patrick (11 July 2023). "Ontario developer asks court to prevent, delay interview with auditor general in Greenbelt audit". CBC. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  20. ^ a b Jones, Ryan Patrick; Brockbank, Nicole (11 Nov 2022). "Who are the GTA developers set to benefit from Ford government's Greenbelt land swap?". CBC. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  21. ^ Jones, Ryan Patrick (25 Nov 2022). "Prominent developer family linked to more Greenbelt properties slated for housing". CBC. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  22. ^ Gray, Jeff (2023-02-01). "King Township mayor says he knew nothing about Greenbelt plans in advance". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  23. ^ McIntosh, Emma; Javed, Noor; Kennedy, Brendan (17 Nov 2022). "Six developers bought Greenbelt land after Ford came to power. Now, they stand to profit". The Narwhal. Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  24. ^ "Ontario developers who benefitted from Ford government decisions on Greenbelt and MZOs dined with the premier at his daughter's wedding". thestar.com. 2023-02-10. Archived from the original on 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2023-02-14.