Ontario will ‘re-evaluate’ sites in Greenbelt land swap as part of sweeping review, Ford says

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will “re-evaluate” controversial Greenbelt land swaps panned by two provincial watchdogs as rushed and flawed, but insisted development will move ahead if the sites “stand on their own merit.”

At a news conference Tuesday, Ford said the re-evaluation will be part of a wider review of all Greenbelt lands and development applications. The previous Liberal government mandated in 2005 that Greenbelt lands be reviewed every 10 years. The last review was completed in 2015, meaning the province is moving up the timeline by about two years.

Paul Calandra, who stepped into the role of housing minister after Steve Clark resigned the post on Monday, will establish the parameters of the review along with a non-partisan provincial adjudicator, Ford said.

“There is going to be a complete review from top to bottom,” Ford told reporters. 

The lands earmarked for removal and development late last year will need to survive the process, Ford said. He added that in the meantime, the adjudicator will continue working with current landowners — which include some of the largest developers in the province