Opinion: Federal government deserves a say in Doug Ford’s Greenbelt plans. Doug Ford and his gang seem to have forgotten that their federal counterparts might object to plans to build homes on the Greenbelt.
It should come as no surprise to Premier Ford that federal Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault is taking an interest in the Ontario government’s push to open parts of the Greenbelt for development.
The Ontario government has made sweeping legislative changes under the guise of “building more homes faster.” Despite the advice of its own Housing Affordability Task Force, which reported there is more than enough land to build on, already zoned and ready for development, the provincial government has removed significant parcels of land from the Greenbelt.
As reported in the Toronto Star in December, Parks Canada warned that removing this preserve from the Greenbelt could cause “irreversible harm to wildlife, natural ecosystems and agricultural landscapes” of Rouge National Park and affect the habitats of dozens of endangered species. They added that the province had not consulted with the federal government which was required as part of an earlier agreement.
We need to prepare for the impacts of climate change. We also need to build more affordable housing. Ford has said that he is disappointed that Guilbeault could intervene with the province’s plans to build on the Greenbelt. But it is Ford’s insistence that, “This is our jurisdiction” and “We’re building homes on those pieces of property, sure as I’m standing here today” that is disappointing.
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