Steve Clark

Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is moving to shut down debate on its most controversial piece of legislation this session, one of a plethora of bills getting the fast-track treatment before the legislature rises for a summer break.

Premier Doug Ford's decision to reappoint Steve Clark to a key government role has been met with significant criticism from other political leaders and environmental groups.

Ontario's municipal affairs and housing minister is expected to introduce legislation today to return parcels of land to the protected Greenbelt.

While no one explicitly told developers that Ontario planned to open up the protected Greenbelt for housing last year, the government telegraphed that message to builders through actions – and silence, the province's integrity commissioner found.

Assessing 14 sites the government removed from the Greenbelt for housing development will be part of a larger review of all parcels of protected Greenbelt land, the Ontario premier said. Opposition leaders expressed concern the review will cause Ford to open up even more of the Greenbelt. 

Embattled Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark stepped down from his cabinet role on Monday following weeks of criticism over his handling of efforts to remove land from the province's protected Greenbelt.

In general, 60 per cent of respondents expressed the view that all the Greenbelt land should remain safeguarded. Among all voters, one in five individuals advocated for the allocation of certain portions of land, while a mere 12 per cent supported making a substantial amount of land available for development, the poll suggests. 

Habitats, natural resources and recreational greenspace are not as replaceable or moveable as the Doug Ford government's new policies make them out to be, according to conservation experts.

Ontario has broken the law by forcing the City of Hamilton to expand its boundary to build homes on farmland and wild spaces, an environmental rights group alleges in legal documents as it takes the province to court in a case being tracked by the mayor.

Indigenous leaders from across Ontario called on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, for the repeal of a new housing bill they said was passed without properly consulting First Nations and could put their communities at risk.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he and his government did not tip off developers ahead of announcing changes to the Greenbelt.

Ontario Greens are calling for an integrity probe after the Opposition NDP asked the province's auditor-general to calculate the spike in value of property suddenly at risk of losing its Greenbelt status.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to give the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto greater power with so-called strong mayor legislation introduced Wednesday in an apparent bid to speed up housing development in the province.

Peel Region will expand its urban boundaries to accommodate expected population growth, bucking a trend of nearby municipalities that have defied the provincial government’s push for sprawl.

Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark said he wasn’t sure how many of the controversial land zoning orders the province plans to issue before the next election. "It's really just greenwash for the government's extraordinary misuse of MZOs to drive sprawl," said Phil Pothen of Environmental Defence.