Recently, both the Auditor General and Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner made the decision to begin separate investigations into the Ontario government’s decision to carve up the Greenbelt.
 
Since the government first introduced the legislation in the Fall, I raised concerns with the government’s decision to remove 7,400 acres of land from the Greenbelt to allow for development on what was protected land.
 
The removal of protections from these lands has instantly shifted wealth to property owners, who have likely benefited substantially from the rezoning of this land from undevelopable agricultural land to developable land.
 
Hundreds of concerned Ontarians and stakeholders shared similar concerns through the Environmental Bill of Rights consultation process. The consultation showed broad opposition to the government’s decision to remove land from the Greenbelt, including concerns regarding anticipated negative environmental impacts
 
The connections between the government and the people who stood to benefit the most are just too close. Ontarians have a right to know if the government gave their friends advance notice of their plans to crack open the Greenbelt.