Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark resigns amid Greenbelt land swap controversy
Opposition parties say move is a 1st step but Greenbelt lands need to be returned
Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has resigned from cabinet after weeks of pushback from political opponents, First Nations leaders and residents following multiple investigations into his ministry's handling of the Greenbelt land swaps.
His resignation comes after Ontario's integrity commissioner investigated his conduct and recommended Clark be reprimanded, saying he failed to properly oversee the process that led to protected Greenbelt lands being selected for housing development.
Weeks earlier, the province's auditor general found the process for choosing which parcels of land would be open for housing development was heavily influenced by a small group of well-connected developers who stand to make billions of dollars.
In a letter posted Monday morning addressed to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Clark said he tried to "fulfil the mandate of getting more homes built" for the people of Ontario.
"Although my initial thought was that I could stay in this role and establish a proper process so that these mistakes don't 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," Clark wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"As such, please accept my resignation as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. I will continue to serve my constituents as the MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes."
Ontario's Greenbelt was initially created in 2005 to permanently protect agricultural and environmentally sensitive lands from falling victim to urban sprawl.
The Ford government removed about 2,995 hectares of land from the Greenbelt in December, while adding more land elsewhere, to build 50,000 homes. The Progressive Conservative government has said the land swaps were necessary to help them fulfil their promise of building 1.5 million homes in the next decade amid a housing crisis.
The move has been condemned by residents, environmental advocacy groups and First Nations leaders alike, saying there was a lack of meaningful consultation and no need to open up Greenbelt land to meet the government's goal, as previously noted by the Ford government's hand-picked Housing Affordability Task Force.
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 <a href="https://t.co/5VvUMB43gi">pic.twitter.com/5VvUMB43gi</a>
—@SteveClarkPCPremier accepts, opposition supports resignation
Clark's departure comes after his chief of staff, Ryan Amato, tendered his resignation. The province's auditor general found the political staffer selected 14 of the 15 sites that were ultimately removed from the Greenbelt, and the majority were chosen after suggestions from developers who lobbied him personally.
Ford, who initially said Clark would keep his job following both investigations, thanked him for his years of service in cabinet.
"As Ontario grows, our government is on a mission to build at least 1.5 million homes," Ford said in a post on X. He made no other mention of Clark's resignation.
"After decades of inaction, we're seeing real results: 2022 and 2021 had the most housing starts in 30 years. Our work won't stop."
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said Clark "finally did the right thing" but added that there are still others who need to be held to account.
"We've been calling for this for weeks, and I'm glad to see that he's finally stepped down," Stiles told CBC Toronto. "That's important. It's time now, though, that the premier took some responsibility."
Stiles is calling for the Ontario Legislature to be recalled to return the removed lands to the Greenbelt.
"This process was dirty," Stiles said. "The only way they climb back from this is returning the land to the Greenbelt, and then we can talk about how we change governments."
John Fraser, interim leader of the Ontario Liberals, and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner echoed similar calls in public statements.
"What 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," Fraser said.
"The premier keeps assuring us the buck stops with him. It's time for him to step up and prove it," Schreiner said.
Much of the land removed from the Greenbelt is covered by treaties with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the 1923 Williams Treaties, of which seven other First Nations are party, according to Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk's report into the land swaps. Those treaties include harvesting rights in certain areas, such as rights to hunt, fish, trap and gather.
Chief Laurie Carr of the Hiawatha First Nation, one of the signatories to the Williams Treaties, was glad to see Clark resign but says the land needs to be returned to the Greenbelt.
"Then we can talk about a relationship and a partnership moving forward," Carr said.
Resignation just the beginning, advocates say
Advocates who vocally opposed the Greenbelt land swaps reiterated sentiments shared by opposition parties on Monday.
Phil Pothen, Ontario program manager with advocacy group Environmental Defence, said Clark's resignation is just the first step.
"While the minister's resignation and the premier's decision to accept it is entirely predictable as an attempt at damage control, there's no substitute for actually reversing the Greenbelt removals themselves," Pothen told CBC Toronto.
He said for the next housing minister to prove they have integrity, the government needs to reverse the swaps.
In August, Stop Sprawl Durham organized a protest where hundreds demanded protection for the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve, which was removed from the Greenbelt.
Abdullah Mir, Stop Sprawl's co-chair, said the issue won't go away until all Greenbelt lands are returned.
"The dominoes will keep falling and we're not going to stop," he said. "People are not forgetting about it. We will not forget about it."
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With files from Ryan Patrick Jones