In December 2022, the provincial government announced that 15 properties in the Greenbelt would be opened to development – this was on the same day that they approved expansions to each region’s urban boundaries, adding more than 3,800 hectares (the size of Newmarket) to York Region’s developable space alone.
On January 18, 2023, Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner announced that she would investigate the government’s plans to allow development on the Greenbelt and whether the housing minister gave advance notice of the decision to developers, allowing them to buy land that was previously environmentally protected for less than market value.
Some developers have donated significantly to Doug Ford’s political campaigns and the Ontario PC Party.
Stouffville and the GTHA as a whole have more than enough developable land to achieve the province’s housing goal without needing to develop the Greenbelt.
Decisions made by provincial leaders are now subject to conflict of interest investigations by the OPP, the provincial integrity commissioner, and the provincial auditor general.
