Winnipeg, Manitoba, September 4 (Reuters) – Ontario’s housing minister resigned on Monday, days after an independent report concluded he had violated ethics laws in a land deal near Toronto, Canada’s largest city.
Steve Clark announced his resignation from the cabinet but will continue serving in Ontario’s legislative assembly.
“Ontario is facing the most challenging housing crisis our province has ever seen,” Clark wrote on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “However, this crisis requires someone who will not divert attention from the important work that needs to be done.”
In an August 30 report, Ontario’s independent integrity commissioner, J. David Wake, determined that Clark had violated the law regarding the removal of land from the Greenbelt protected area surrounding Toronto for housing development. Wake recommended that Clark be reprimanded.
Ontario’s Greenbelt covers 2 million acres (810,000 hectares) of protected farmland, forests, rivers, and lakes around Toronto. Last year, Ontario’s cabinet approved Clark’s proposal to remove 15 properties spanning 7,400 acres (2,995 hectares) from the Greenbelt for housing development, sparking public outrage.
The move would have increased the collective value of the properties by C$8.3 billion ($6.10 billion), benefiting specific developers and landowners, as found by Ontario’s auditor general in an August 9 report that described the land selection as “biased.”
The change would have provided land for 50,000 homes and contributed to the fulfillment of Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford’s promise to build 1.5 million homes over the next decade.
Wake concluded that Clark had failed to properly oversee the process of selecting Greenbelt lands, “resulting in the improper advancement of the private interests of certain developers.” This selection process was led by Clark’s former chief of staff, Ryan Amato, who resigned last month.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced pressure due to Canada’s “serious” housing shortage, even though housing primarily falls under the jurisdiction of provincial and municipal governments.