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Hundreds rally across province to defend Greenbelt from development

“He lied and said he wasn’t going to touch the green belt": demonstrator, Jocelyn Davie from Richmond Hill

People rally outside a Municipal Affairs and Housing office in Toronto on Saturday.
People rally outside a Municipal Affairs and Housing office in Toronto on Saturday. Photo by SCOTT LAURIE /TORONTO SUN

Demonstrations against a newly-passed government housing bill took place across the province as the opposition and environmentalists slam development plans they say will carve into the Greenbelt.

“(Ontario Premier Doug Ford) lied and said he wasn’t going to touch the Greenbelt,” said Jocelyn Davie, who rallied outside a Municipal Affairs and Housing office with dozens of people Saturday. “Now he is opening up the Greenbelt for 50,000 homes. He’s told the voters of Ontario he wasn’t going to do that and then he turns around and does it several months into his mandate.”

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The rally in downtown Toronto was one of at least 20 throughout the weekend.

Chun Chu attended the demonstration with her daughters Samantha and Gwen.

“Housing could be built in existing built-up areas. It doesn’t need to go into our pristine lands,” Chu said.

The More Homes Built Faster Act received royal assent at Queen’s Park on Nov. 28.

The government’s position is that it is necessary to speed up home construction amid an affordability crisis, and as the province’s population grows.

“We expect that Ontario’s population is going to grow by over two million people by 2031, and we expect that approximately 1.5 million of that will be right here in the greater Golden Horseshoe,” Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark told the house at the start of third reading of the bill.

“That’s why — and this is very important — we need both near- and long-term plans and solutions to deal with the current housing shortage and to deal with the growth-fuelled demand for housing that we know is coming.”

The opposition is focusing on fears of what it considers an incursion into the Greenbelt, and also on the ties between the Ford government and major property developers.

“What is especially concerning is that the government is choosing to open up the greenbelt in areas where there are nine developers who own land there, who gave over $520,000 to the PC Party since 2014,” said Jessica Bell, NDP MPP, and housing critic during third reading of the bill Nov. 23.

  1. Ontario Premier Doug Ford attends a news conference at the Michener Institute of Education in Toronto, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.

    Ontario government did not tip off developers on Greenbelt changes: Ford

  2. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark, address media outside of the Premier's office at Queen's Park in Toronto, Ont. on Monday, May 27, 2019.

    LACKIE: Can housing crisis be fixed by tapping into the Greenbelt?

“It really smells fishy; an investigation is needed.”

The demonstrations are expected to continue Sunday, including one outside the office of Minister Clark.

“He’s given this Ontario land to developers for nothing. It makes you wonder: is there something more that we’re missing?” asked Chu at Saturday’s rally.

slaurie@postmedia.com
Twitter: @_ScottLaurie