UPDATE: MPP Steve Clark responded to our request for comment with the following statement:
“At a time when Ontario is experiencing unprecedented growth, it’s never been more important to deliver on our commitment to build at least 1.5 million homes. Last year alone, our province grew by more than 500,000 new residents. That’s more newcomers than Texas and Florida, the fastest-growing states in America, both of which are roughly double the size of Ontario’s total population. As we welcome more people, we need to build more homes of all types. It’s as simple as that.
To do so, and in addition to other initiatives underway to build more homes, our government is supporting the construction of at least 50,000 new homes while growing the Greenbelt by more than 2,400 acres. Critically, this initiative established conditions to ensure that billions of dollars worth of community benefits, such as new roads, parks, transit, water, and health care infrastructure, as well as significant non-profit housing, are fully funded by the landowners and builders–not Ontario or municipal taxpayers.
The government has been clear that new home construction must begin on these lands no later than 2025, with significant progress on approvals and implementation achieved by the end of 2023. The sites will be returned to the Greenbelt if these conditions are not met.”
The Chief of Staff for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes’ MPP is in hot water after a report from Ontario’s Auditor General.
Premiere Doug Ford has asked the province’s integrity commissioner to investigate Steve Clark’s Chief of Staff.
As Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Clark’s Chief of Staff led the committee responsible for removing more than 7,000 acres of land from the Greenbelt last year.
According to a report from Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, the process for selecting what land was removed from the protected area was flawed, and some developers were given preferential treatment.
Her report included fifteen recommendations, including that the integrity commissioner investigate Clark’s Chief of Staff.
CTV News Toronto reports the integrity commissioner’s office is looking into the request. We’ve reached out to Clark for comment.