Shaw: With the Greenbelt saved, Ford’s forced expansion of Hamilton’s urban boundary must be investigated

HAMILTON – After a successful fight to save the Greenbelt, MPP Sandy Shaw (Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas), Ontario NDP critic for Environment, Conservation, and Parks has a plan to get to the bottom of the Ford Conservatives’ shady changes to Hamilton’s urban boundary:

“Ford’s corruption is staggering. Against the will of Hamiltonians, Ford gave away more of Hamilton’s precious agricultural land to the very same speculators that he allowed to carve up the Greenbelt. Instead of helping people, Ford just keeps rigging the system.

Ford’s Greenbelt Grab was corrupt and undemocratic. People are asking the same questions about Hamilton’s urban boundary expansion – and they deserve answers.

Last week, while attending a packed community engagement meeting, I confirmed that I will be requesting that the Auditor General investigate the Ford government’s amendments to Hamilton’s official plan, including its forced urban boundary expansion, and whether certain favoured landowners received preferential treatment. That letter will be delivered in the coming weeks.

This week has proven that people power and public pressure works. I am committed to standing beside Marit Stiles and our Hamilton community as we continue to hold this government to account.”

QUICK FACTS

• Two developers who successfully had land removed from the Greenbelt also benefitted from Ford’s order to expand Hamilton’s Urban Boundary.
• In 2021, Hamilton council committed to meeting provincial housing targets by building within existing urban boundaries, responding to public demands that farmland be protected. Ford’s Conservatives ignored this decision and expanded its urban boundaries anyway.
• The Integrity Commissioner’s report on Steve Clark revealed new evidence calling into question the integrity of the Ford government’s review of municipal official plans, including Hamilton’s.
• The Auditor General’s 2021 report on land use planning found that the Ford government’s decisions were arbitrary and were not based on evidence, including decisions affecting Hamilton. A follow-up report is expected later this year.
• On September 21 after months of pressure from the Ontario NDP and the community, Ford was forced to reverse course and cancel his Greenbelt grab.