{"id":21552,"date":"2023-09-04T10:44:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T17:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/ontario-housing-minister-steve-clark-resigns-in-wake-of-greenbelt-controversy\/"},"modified":"2023-09-04T10:44:15","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T17:44:15","slug":"ontario-housing-minister-steve-clark-resigns-in-wake-of-greenbelt-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/ontario-housing-minister-steve-clark-resigns-in-wake-of-greenbelt-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark resigns in wake of Greenbelt controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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TORONTO \u2013 Steve\u00a0Clark, Ontario\u2019s housing minister since 2018, has resigned from his role days after a damning report from the integrity commissioner found he violated ethics rules when the province opened up parts of the protected Greenbelt for development.<\/p>\n

Clark\u00a0apologized for his role in the Greenbelt fiasco on Thursday, but had the backing of Premier Doug Ford to continue in the job.<\/p>\n

Two legislative watchdogs found the process to select which lands came out of the Greenbelt hasty and flawed.<\/p>\n

The reports sparked widespread public outcry, with opposition politicians and First Nations chiefs across the province calling for\u00a0Clark\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough my initial thought was that I could stay in this role and establish a proper process so that these mistakes don\u2019t happen again, I realize that my presence will only cause a further distraction from the important work that needs to be done and that I need to take accountability for what has transpired,\u201d he wrote in his resignation letter to Ford.<\/p>\n

Ford thanked\u00a0Clark\u00a0for his years of service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still more to do as our government keeps building the homes our growing province needs,\u201d Ford wrote on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we do, I have no doubt Steve\u00a0Clark\u00a0will continue to serve his community well as an important part of our team at Queen\u2019s Park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, the province took about 2,995 hectares of land out of the Greenbelt to build 50,000 homes and replaced them with about 3,804 hectares elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The moves were part of the government\u2019s pledge to address the housing crisis by promising to build 1.5 million homes over 10 years.<\/p>\n

In his report, Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake recommended to the legislature that\u00a0Clark\u00a0be reprimanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a parliamentary democracy, the parliament is supreme, and the legislature will determine my ultimate reprimand,\u201d\u00a0Clark\u00a0wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs someone who has given my life to serving the people through our democratic institutions, I feel that it is my responsibility to adhere to the principles of ministerial accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

The integrity commissioner found\u00a0Clark\u2019s chief of staff, Ryan Amato, was the driving force behind the land swap that benefited certain developers. He also concluded the minister failed to oversee his staff.<\/p>\n

Ford said in 2018 he would not develop the Greenbelt after previously musing about doing so. But that changed after last year\u2019s landslide election win by the Progressive Conservatives.<\/p>\n

Ford gave\u00a0Clark\u00a0instructions via a mandate letter to come up with a process to open up the Greenbelt.\u00a0Clark\u00a0told the integrity commissioner he delegated that work to his new chief of staff, Amato.<\/p>\n

Wake found Amato, who resigned two weeks ago, selected 14 of the 15 sites that were removed from the Greenbelt. Wake called Amato\u2019s process \u201cchaotic\u201d and \u201cdeceptive\u201d that favoured certain developers.<\/p>\n

The integrity commissioner found neither\u00a0Clark\u00a0nor Ford knew what Amato was up to.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may seem incredible that Minister\u00a0Clark\u00a0would have chosen to stick his head in the sand on such an important initiative being undertaken by his ministry but I believe that was exactly what he did,\u201d Wake wrote in his report, released last Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The auditor general came to a similar conclusion about\u00a0Clark.<\/p>\n

Bonnie Lysyk said developers who had access to Amato at a developer conference wound up with 92 per cent of the land. The owners of the sites removed from the Greenbelt stand to see their property values rise by at least $8.3 billion, she found.<\/p>\n

The opposition was swift to applaud\u00a0Clark\u2019s resignation, but also reiterated demands to return lands to the Greenbelt.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow it\u2019s time for Doug Ford to face the music,\u201d New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecall the legislature so we can restore these lands to the Greenbelt; and give Ontarians the transparency and accountability they deserve from a Premier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser renewed calls for a legislative committee investigation on the Greenbelt moves.<\/p>\n

\u201cMinister\u00a0Clark\u2019s resignation today is the first step in what needs to happen to get to the bottom of this $8.3 Billion cash-for-your-land scheme,\u201d Fraser said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat needs to happen next, is the Premier needs to open the books on the Greenbelt land swaps and waive Cabinet Privilege as it relates to this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner called\u00a0Clark\u2019s resignation a \u201cstep toward accountability,\u201d but reiterated calls for a public inquiry into the land swaps.<\/p>\n

\u201dThe people of Ontario deserve honest answers to how a corrupt process could lead to $8.3 billion in windfall profits for wealthy, Ford-connected insiders,\u201d Schreiner said.<\/p>\n

Ford has admitted to a flawed process in the Greenbelt deal, but has repeatedly refused to return those lands to the protected area.<\/p>\n

The RCMP is reviewing information to determine whether it should investigate the Greenbelt land swap. Ford has said he is confident nothing criminal took place.<\/p>\n

Clark\u00a0has been in politics since the age of 22 when he was elected mayor of Brockville, Ont., in 1982. He served three terms as mayor and was also president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.<\/p>\n

Clark\u00a0entered provincial politics in 2010 when he won a byelection in Leeds-Grenville. He held several critic portfolios while in opposition, including municipal affairs and housing and ethics and accountability. He has been in cabinet as minister of municipal affairs and housing since the Ford government won its first term in 2018.<\/p>\n

Part of his mandate as housing minister included introducing a controversial proposal that would reduce the size of the Toronto city council known as the Better Local Government Act. The Act was ruled as unconstitutional, and Doug Ford threatened to invoke the notwithstanding clause before the courts ultimately sided with the province.<\/p>\n

He was also in charge of introducing Ford\u2019s equally controversial Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, which would grant extra powers to the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto and gave them extraordinary budgetary and veto powers that aligned with provincial priorities. The act was expanded in 2023 to include 26 more municipalities.<\/p>\n

Clark\u00a0said he intends to stay on as the representative for the eastern Ontario riding of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.<\/p>\n

\u00a92023 THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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As someone who has given my life to serving the people through our democratic institutions, it is my responsibility to adhere to the principles of Ministerial accountability. I will continue to serve my constituents as the MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes pic.twitter.com\/5VvUMB43gi<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Steve Clark (@SteveClarkPC) September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n