CKMS News -2023-09-21- GREN Greenbelt Update.

By: dan kellar

Kitchener, ON – 

Today show features an interview with Kevin Thomason of the Grand River Environmental Network, who is working on a handful of campaigns to protect the Grand River watershed and the Waterloo moraine, and for quite a while now organising against Ontario’s conservative government’s plans to develop the ecologically important lands of the protected “Green Belt”.  

Thomason spoke of the ongoing resistance to Doug Ford’s attempts to take land out of the green belt under the guise of the housing crisis, and “giving it to developers”.  Calling the government “corrupt”, Thomason called for Doug Ford to “do the right job or get out of the way”.  Kevin also shared hope for a better future saying “we have to succeed, or future survival depends on it”.

In a recent statement to CKMS News Kitchener-Conestoga PC MPP Mike Harris Jr. supported Ford, saying that the conservative government will continue with their plan to build homes on “non-sensitive” Green Belt lands claiming this was “requested by many municipalities”.  Harris concluded: “I want to emphasize that, under the continued leadership of our Premier, our Government will prioritize addressing the housing crisis, ensuring more people have a place to call home.”

As this piece was set to air, Doug Ford held a press conference announcing he would be reversing the Green Belt land deals saying “I am very, very sorry… it was a mistake to open the Greenbelt.” He added his actions were “with the best of intentions”, and that he “prides himself on keeping his promises”. With the 2018 promises to never develop the Green Belt, in mind,  Ford once again promised to “won’t make any changes to the green belt in the future”. 

CKMS News will have a follow up show with analysis of Ford’s announcement.

CKMS News has asked MPP Harris for a comment on this recent decision by Ford, and will include that response in the follow up.