Ford’s Greenbelt grab has Hamilton municipality trapped

July 13, 2023

GUELPH — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to news that Hamilton councillors will enter talks with a provincial facilitator over development of Greenbelt lands in the area.

“Hamilton has been clear in its opposition to the expansion of its urban boundaries.

But while the government ploughs ahead with its plan to pave over 1,900 acres of once-protected local land, municipal leaders are trapped in an impossible position: join fraught negotiations in hopes of securing community benefits, or stand against Ford and lose out on an opportunity to mitigate his damage.

Municipalities know what they need to do to make housing more affordable and more accessible – without sprawling onto prime farmland.

But right now, they’re the ones who are paying the price for the Ford government’s regressive housing policies that hang them out to dry.

We need to listen to experts across all sectors who are calling on the Ford government to abandon its Greenbelt giveaway and work with local leaders to implement real solutions to the housing crisis, not make it worse with his expensive sprawl agenda.

Ontario Greens will continue pushing this government to commit to building homes people can actually afford in connected communities where they want to live, work and play.”

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