Dozens of rallies planned against Ford government’s new housing bill


Environmental groups are set to demonstrate against Ontario’s plan to develop the Greenbelt.

Dozens of rallies are expected to take place across the province in Brampton, Etobicoke, Markham, Scarborough and in Orangeville outside the office of deputy premier Sylvia Jones, as well as at Bay and College streets in downtown Toronto.

The demonstrations are in opposition to the government’s controversial Bill 23, known as the More Homes Built Faster Act, which is part of the province’s goal of building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. It allows the government to remove land in 15 different areas from the Greenbelt, which has been protected from development by legislation since 2005.

Premier Doug Ford had previously promised he wouldn’t touch the protected lands.

The province says it plans to launch a 30-day consultation on removing about 7,400 acres in 15 different areas from the Greenbelt.


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The federal government has warned provinces it would not provide disaster compensation where development is greenlit in areas prone to flooding while expressing concern with “what I’m seeing in Ontario.”

Ford responded, saying the province has no plans to allow homes to be built on floodplains while calling on the federal minister to “do his research.”

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner has filed a complaint with the province’s integrity commissioner, asking whether Ford’s plan to open parts of the protected Greenbelt lands for development broke any ethics rules.

Media reports have suggested that some prominent developers who are Progressive Conservative donors stand to benefit from the move.

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report

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