Ontario's massive greenbelt scandal, explained in full | The Big Story
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- Опубліковано 10 сер 2023
- The Greenbelt is one of Ontario's biggest environmental success stories-millions acres of protected land that capture carbon, protect at-risk species and play a huge role in feeding the province. Unless of course the land is carved up and sold to developers to create housing.
Ontario's auditor general released a report this week that found the Doug Ford's government, in choosing portions of land to be developed, was influenced by developers who now stand to make billions, their "information gathering and decision protocols were sidelined and abandoned" and did not consider environmental, agricultural or financial impacts of the move.
It's a damning report that needs to be explained in detail-how we got here, what it means and what might happen now. So we'll do that with a member of the team that led the reporting on the issue since last year.
GUEST: Fatima, Syed, Ontario reporter, The Narwhal (Read Fatima's and her colleague Emma McIntosh's full coverage of the Greenbelt scandal here (thenarwhal.ca/ontario-greenbe...)
Episode link: play.headliner.app/episode/16...
It is unbelievable that the Premiere and his team are still so defiant and arrogant about their misdeeds. In other countries, under such circumstances, the ministers would have resigned or even committed suicide, like Teh Cheang Wan, former Singapore Minister for National Development, committed suicide when the then Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, initiated investigation on his corruption for accepting bribes of $1 million.
Its sad at this point I don't even care about it. Since all levels of government are doing this. Contract hand outs and positions in government are all being handed out for personal gain. I am convinced at this point that Canada is just a big money laundering scheme.
Bro Ford committed political fundraising fraud even before he was elected as Premier the first time. He got caught in a video and recording in a local Tim Hortons in Etobicoke walking up to random people and asking them to sign up for PC Ontario memberships so they can vote for his preferred candidate Kinga Surma in a local nomination race and he was covering their membership fees. Apparently Ford’s excuse is that other people and parties do it lol but he got caught on camera committing the illegal act. Apparently Party internal nomination and leadership races are not overseen by the Elections Ontario Commissioner so he could only scold Ford saying what he did was unethical but has no power to press charges or levy fines and sanctions unless it was during an actual Ontario election race. Paying or financially coercing people for their votes in an election is clearly a criminal act and leads to jail time.😂 Ask former Federal Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro how the high life was in jail after he got charged for election finance violations and I think illegal robocalls.😂
Constraining supply causes housing prices and rents to skyrocket, shunting your lifetime earnings into the pockets of the chosen few, but does _not_ save farmland.
House on a 3000 sq. ft. lot is *$5,000,000* in Vancouver (or $1,000,000 in Toronto). $5,000,000/3000 = *$1667 per sq. ft.*
A ten acre farm at a million dollars an acre is *$10,000,000.* $10,000,000/435,600 = *$23 per sq. ft.*
The price per sq. ft. might seem low relative to a city lot, but because of acreage the value of a farm is now millions. Grain farming is not feasible beyond $2000 per acre or $0.05 per sq. ft. even if you inherit the land. Nothing can be feasibly grown on million dollar an acre land. The multi-millionaire farmer that wishes to enjoy his new found wealth is not going to work for nothing, borrows on his equity and sells upon winding-up his affairs, or his heirs sell. Farmhouse is replaced with a 50,000 sq. ft. mansion, land is left fallow, grows into grass, then brambles and in turn reverts to forest.
Canada has 895,000,000 acres of forest that is a fraction of its total territory. None may be spared for housing.
Say good bye to ALL our PRECIOUS FARM LAND
Seriously. Does anyone believe that Ford and the Minister did not initiate the deal with their developers to pull this off. Ford says 'he' takes responsibility. In fact this amounts to declaring that no one will be held responsible. If Ford were sincere he would resign in shame. That is what being responsible would actually mean.
I believe that every politician is corrupt.
But the average person doesn’t care. That’s why Kathleen Wynne stayed in power for 15 years, And why Trudo is still in power and ford will remain as well.
lol he said the same thing during the pandemic after his government committed a genocide of our province’s Seniors in Private For Profit LTC homes that Ford licensed, renewed existing licenses, cut inspections and waived liability for. The death toll would have been much higher than the current likely undercount reported on record if PM Trudeau didn’t step in with vaccines, ppe and emergency military assistance. The LTC Minister in the Ford Government during the start and most of the pandemic Merilee Fullerton recently resigned from Ford’s Cabinet and as an MPP. The Conservatives lost her long held Ottawa-Carleton area seat in a recent by-election to replace her for the first time in Ontario history.😂
@@Ont785 Wynne was in power for less than 6 years. Trudeau is still in power because it is a fact he cut the poverty rate for every age demo in the country especially Women, Seniors, Children and people with disabilities since he was elected in 2015 compared to Harper according to Stats Canada data. Trudeau has scandals but they are easily shrugged off by many voters because he improved their lives. He created the income tested Canada Child Benefit, kept the retirement age at 65, increased GIS for low income Seniors and Old Age Security for Seniors age 75+. He increased income tested Federal Grants for post-secondary students and the Labor participation rate of women in Canada is at a historic high under his governance. Trudeau is having a hard time in the polls right now because he has been in office for 8 years, global inflation is high and the BOC like other Central Banks are in a cycle of interest rate hikes.
Halting expansion outwards and building upwards does not save agricultural land. Short supply causes prices to escalate beyond reach. What was $20,000 and should now be $200,000 has risen to $5,000,000 and up. Million dollar an acre land is unfeasible to farm and is left fallow with 50,000 sq. ft. mansions built on it achieving the opposite of what protesters are fighting for, as their emotional reaction plays directly into the hands of the chosen few.
@@Sam19509your grossly uninformed. Where would I start? Educate yourself before you spew half truths. Gives me a peek into who, why and where the clowns are that kept voting for this seriously corrupt sac of 💩 Trudeau. Trudeau makes Wynne look like child's play. Please do get a life that encourages truth and not fan fiction
corruption at its finest, jailtime is necessary
OMG....FORD IS A DAM LIAR
Sorry Our judicial system needs to bring charges no one should be above the law including the rich and powerful and especially our government
Why are people surprised he used the same process as he always uses to make laws and do what he believes is his right which is to make money at all costs. We have a homeless problem not a housing shortage there is a difference. Ford is the GTA Premier and the rest of Ontario only exists if it has something to donate to his money grab, which he believes is his right.
I agree!
insane corruption!!!
Great job City! Keep up the pressure, Ontario can't handle much more Ford.
Housing prices and rents cannot come down without a surplus. Tens of thousands of units are constructed each year. More than a million are required. A variety of spurious pretexts are employed in order to deceptively justify placing a halt on the further use of land, deliberately keeping housing in short supply.
Those that come out in protest are the unwitting victims of a _con job_ that falsely believing will secure their future ensures their demise. Canada has 895,000,000 acres of forest that is a fraction of its total territory. None may be spared for housing.
Fifteen square miles allocated to housing that in a relative sense is the equivalent of a molecule in a football field would eliminate the shortfall and bring housing prices back to a normal level. Citizens of a democracy will not allow that to happen.
A home used to be a place to live in and traded in a free market like that for cars (until it was turned into a financial instrument in a monopoly) and persons at each income level could afford to buy one as homeowners whose income increased moved upwards to more expensive homes leaving their old homes to be acquired by new entrants. (You can purchase a three-bedroom home in Detroit for $15,000).
Before persons are admitted to public office, whether elected or employed at any level, they should be placed under oath and required to swear to the truth of their response to these questions: _Is your ulterior motive in becoming a public servant to place a halt on the use of the land resource? That was not promised to Canadians? That will cause home prices to skyrocket and shunt the lifetime earnings of citizens exacted through rent directly into the pockets of the chosen few? Unjustly enriching them and leaving residents impoverished and homeless?_
Ontario's "Massive" greenbelt scandal. How is that for reporting.
Lock Doug up...
Thanks for a clear and concise report. Maybe in other places you have names names, i hope you are not doing that just to be nice. All these guys need to named and known.
Doug Ford
His entire agenda has been to do this. Removing certain key checks and balances and having Covid helped to prevent people coming out to protest the actions.
The marriage between Government and Corporations .
Did they break the law?
Yep and they left a paper trail because whatever contracts Ford signed to open up the Greenbelt are property of Ontario taxpayers whether he releases them to the public or not. There are also phone logs and bank transactions that can be tracked in a OPP/RCMP investigation.😂
Only if an investigation finds evidence of money or gifts being given to elected officials for the rights to develop. Bribery is illegal and a crime.
There is an answer to your question IS in this video.
@@allytrudie864 cool your jets. Of course the bread cartel broke the law. The only problem is they are the police too ...
The end does not justify the means in this case .
Still Doug Ford as well as his compatriot Justin Trudeau still haven't been forced out.
If you don't know the small area of southern Ontario contains over 50+ % of the very best agriculture land remaining in the entire Canada.
Doug and his boys knew all along. The story changes every day. They are just trying to fit their narrative. Maybe you should call this the big lie
Those 15 "parcels".
No. You... Arggg. You, you mere mammal.
Hey, anyone with the money and power to sue for non voter representation, I'm begging you.
We need a person who can afford to pay for justice.
The legislature would fail if the majority didn't vote on a budget. The majority, 48%, didn't vote for anyone and the other parties didn't vote for Conservatives. 20% and 2 rich guys. We need a financier.
I'd cry "give me liberty or give me death" but I fear you'd stare back slack jawed and drooling.
STOP 🛑 THAT NOW. STOP FORD PERIOD
This is what happens when you elect a conservative government. It’s a fact that the people that gravitate towards conservative values believe to their core nothing is worth doing unless it makes you money. So ideas like protecting the environment and democracy are completely foreign to them. In fact they loath those things because those things stand in the way of that sweet sweet cash.
You're adorable.Have you been paying any attention at all to what has been going on under this Liberal NDP government 😂😂😂
Government not being transparent about business beneficial transactions? Noooo that would never happen hahhaha
Political Staffers are not Government Staff of Ontario but are illegally there to act as a Politicians Aide as a way to keep a Politician informed about what the Government Staff is up to as they are hired by God to work for God as a way to be upholding the Law as Acts in Ontario. The Acts all have Royal Assent to save forested land to keep temperatures from getting too cold. There is a moderating effect of forests of unbroken wilderness. Ontario is a vast network of waterways too and has living water to keep drinking water fresh into Lake Ontario. There is a sewage treatment plant in Toronto. None elsewhere. There is only a house for a new Canadian only not immigrants. Natalie Helferty God's Body.
Doug Ford, the premier of Trumptario
We need more housing. End of story.
Yeah and you don’t have to open the Greenbelt to do that. We are suppose to densify existing residential areas and prevent Urban Sprawl. Ontario has so much government owned vacant and underused lands. There are public schools that are like 25% full all over the province you can amalgamate schools in each board even though we should be amalgamating school boards. Then use that land to build affordable housing and as a last resort sell full parcels of land to private developers. There is no accountability mechanism to ensure low and middle income people can afford to rent or even buy any homes that are built on the land Ford released from the Greenbelt.😂
Lol watch from 15 min in. Ford and Clark are getting trained by PR firms and communications firms likely on the taxpayer’s dime to keep saying that to brain wash naive Ontario residents and voters. She is talking about you.😂
So our only option is to throw up our hands and hope the OPP and Integrity Commissioner can do something? Can we, the public, not inundate our local MPs with letters and emails, asking them to put pressure on the Ford government to reverse their decision? It seems to me that when decisions are made without due regard for public process, they ought to be reversed and then put through the proper channels.
Ontario Liberals were in charge of Ontario for FIFTEEN YEARS. They could have done something regarding housing: THEY. DID. NOT.
People can whine/complain, fact remains: Under Doug Ford: Housing WILL be built. Developers aren't idiots either, they won't simply make 'mansions', they know that mixed income properties will enable the richie rich beautiful people to still get their mocha cappucinos from minimum wage workers locally.
There's other land available though.
@@robbiegrant1449 "There's other land available though."
The longer we wait, the higher these prices will go.
You're just making developers a LOT more money.
Good job pal.
So...we spend (at taxpayers expense) the next 3+ years litigating/court injunction the development of these properties, after that go through another 6+ years of environmental re-assessment/community consultation and open-bidding.
So...by...2033, houses with a starting price of $2-3 Million will begin slowly appearing on the market?
@@sherbournesubwaymess There's other land though. It's been found. How much will a home on the Greenbelt cost? 3 - 4 million? It's always a hypothetical large amount of money with real estate agents, developers and the government anyways.
@@robbiegrant1449
Developers will sell mansions on multi-acre properties. So the greenbelt will be 'maintained'...and houses sold for unholy amounts of $$$.
Delaying will only cause prices to go even higher and make developers even richer.
@@sherbournesubwaymess There's enough land available within Toronto and the GTA to develop on for the near future, especially with a couple zoning reforms.
Opening up the greenbelt for development now is nothing but a money grab for the developers that were close with the government. Plain and simple.