Ontario government attempted greenbelt grab prompts RCMP investigation
The RCMP announced that it will investigate Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s attempt to “swap” land in the Greenbelt, a move that was previously criticized for benefiting his developer friends.
“Following a referral from the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP O Division’s Sensitive and International Investigations (SII) unit has now launched an investigation into allegations associated to the decision from the Province of Ontario to open parts of the Greenbelt for development,” reads a statement posted by Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Colin D’Mello on X (formerly Twitter).
BREAKING: The RCMP has officially launched an investigation into the Ford government's decision to open the Greenbelt for housing construction.
— Colin D'Mello | Global News (@ColinDMello) October 10, 2023
This is, date, the most significant development in the entire affair. #onpoli pic.twitter.com/fDlrFPLNg3
In order to protect the integrity of the investigation, the RCMP states that they will not be providing further updates at this time.
The Greenbelt land transfer attempt took place last fall but only recently resulted in the resignation of two cabinet ministers and two senior political aides, including Minister of Housing Steven Clark. The resignations followed a harsh critique by the auditor general criticizing the successful lobbying of government officials by developers.
Premier Ford previously got feisty in response to D’Mello’s questioning of his Greenbelt land swap plans, which would see approximately 3,000 hectares of protected countryside replaced by similar areas including areas within the urban river valley.
Premier Ford gets into a feisty exchange with a reporter over issues about housing developments in Ontario's greenbelt.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 31, 2023
"We're gonna build homes until people have the same opportunity that you have," Ford tells the reporter. pic.twitter.com/mnBnpRqqE0
Urban sprawl with mass immigration influxes into the area conflicts with Ontario’s Greenbelt, the world's largest protected greenspace that encompasses two million acres of farmlands, forests, wetlands and watersheds. It’s regarded as the heart and lungs of the heavily developed Greater Toronto Area.
In 2021/2022, Toronto received nearly 160,000 immigrants, which represents nearly three-quarters of the entire province's immigration statistics.
Ford previously condemned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s expansive immigration targets, stating that the official numbers cited aren’t accurate.
Premier Doug Ford says PM Trudeau's mass immigration policy has caused Ontario's housing crisis.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) August 31, 2023
Ford says the feds never told him immigration would be so high. "That's the reason," Ford says he needs to develop the Greenbelt. pic.twitter.com/iBuKG4d0XK
“It’s probably up to seven or eight hundred thousand that are arriving,” Ford previously told reporters. “I didn’t get a phone call saying ‘surprise, surprise we’re dropping this many people into your province. Good luck, you deal with them.’”
