Floreat Grimsby In Medio Horti

Category: Greenbelt (Page 2 of 4)

Ford To Reverse Course On Greenbelt, Said He Broke A Promise

Photo Credit: The Environment Journal/Fair Trading

With the resignation of two Ministers, a possible RCMP criminal investigation and many skeletons waiting to come out of the closet, Premier Doug Ford today did what the public has been telling him to do from the beginning, reverse the Greenbelt “land swap” and build elsewhere.

At a press conference just down the QEW in Niagara Falls he said he was “very sorry” and that he was acting in “the best of intentions”. He stated:

“I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t touch the Greenbelt. I broke that promise. And for that, I’m very, very sorry. I pride myself on keeping our promises. It was a mistake to open the Greenbelt. It was a mistake to establish a process that moves too fast”

For someone who was defiant right up to recent days over the Greenbelt changes, to surrender as he has, shows that it likely feeling more than the public heat over the matter. The big question is whether the RCMP will buy this or will they move forward to investigate if there was any criminality in the matter. One way or another, there needs to be an independent inquiry into what really happened.

While this may close the book for many in the public on the scandal, there are still many tall-tales to be told… so watch out for the next post.

Steve Clark Resigns Over Growing Greenbelt Scandal, Mr. X Unmasked

Photo Credit: The Narwhal/Fair Dealing

With the developments (no pun intended) of the last few days, it seems the whole big Greenbelt heist is starting to become unraveled. Today’s announcement that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark, has decided to step down from his position came somewhat as a surprise after his initial refusals, although the writing was clearly on the wall. He will remain on as an MPP.

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Niagara Centre MPP Burch Calls Out Associate Minister of Housing on Greenbelt & PC Donations

Tuesday morning’s Question Period at Queen’s Park had an interesting exchange between Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch and Ontario’s Associate Minister of Housing, Michael Parsa. Burch makes some great points about the Greenbelt, existing land for development and included a glimpse into the “coincidences” of Greenbelt-owning land developers also being generous with donations to the PC party.

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The $10 Million Waterfront Gamble: 502 Winston, Part 2 – The Path To Paradise?

We are back and picking up where we left-off in August on the proposed agricultural “re-designation” of the Greenbelt waterfront property at 502 Winston Road. While there was intent to follow-up with another post shortly after the “open-house” meeting in September, we listened to an inside voice that said just wait.

Apparently this was a wise move, as Premier Ford’s government is now attempting to intervene in what should be a municipal/regional application process with its plan to pave over large sections of the existing Greenbelt to have “More Homes Built Faster”. The waterfront Greenbelt lands at 502 Winston Road are part of that controversial proposal.

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Ford & PCs Planning To Bulldoze Parts Of The Greenbelt, Grimsby Included

Photo Credit: Canadian Press/Chris Young – Fair Dealing

Our next post was meant to highlight the environmental aspects of Bill 23 “More Homes Built Faster Act, but it appears Doug Ford and his Progressive “Conservatives” managed to one-up themselves today by proposing to remove or re-designate 7,400 acres from the Greenbelt. Among the proposed areas up for grabs in Grimsby is the 502 Winston Road lakefront property and a large block near Main Street West.

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The $10 Million Waterfront Gamble: 502 Winston, Part 1 – The Art of the Deal

Image Credit: Google Inc. via Google Earth

If you didn’t catch the Public Notice in the local papers, you might have missed a notice from the Region regarding a Regional Official Plan Amendment (ROPA) application for the lands known as 502 Winston Road. The purpose of the application is to “refine the agricultural significance of the property from Unique Agricultural Area to Rural designation”. The lands are currently “Specialty Crop – Tender Fruit & Grape Lands” under the Greenbelt plan. But why re-designate you ask?

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Grimsby Wetlands: A Return To Nature

Photo Credit: Doors Open Ontario

If you regularly drive along the west-end of Winston Road rather than walking it, you might just be missing out on one of Grimsby’s hidden natural gems. The award-winning Grimsby Wetlands, also known as the “Biggar Lagoons” is a great place for bird-watchers or those looking to get away from the hustle-and-bustle of daily life.

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