Marit Stiles smells blood in the water.
The NDP leader wants to capitalize on the momentum generated by the Tories' Greenbelt reversal and thinks she's found her next target: the government's decision to expand some municipalities' urban boundaries and allow for more sprawling development.
She may have an ally in the public service.
On Wednesday, Stiles unveiled an internal document "provided... by somebody inside the government" outlining "key messages" politicians and staff should use to respond to questions on the controversial decision to expand six municipalities' urban boundaries earlier this year. It has not been independently verified by The Trillium.
"We know that there is an urgent need for more housing supply, as well as the land necessary to support it ... municipalities must not only grow out by expanding their settlement boundaries, but they must also grow up and embrace increased height and density. Both must happen to address the housing crisis," reads a line from the document explaining why the government chose to expand urban boundaries in Barrie, Peterborough, Guelph, Waterloo, Belleville and Wellington.
In April, the Ford government amended those areas' official plans, opening up nearly 5,000 hectares of land for development.
Some local councils and Indigenous communities weren't consulted on the moves — which the document readily acknowledges could spark opposition.
In Waterloo, where the province added nearly 2,400 hectares, some lands were added at the request of third parties and against the wishes of regional staff, according to the document.
"There may be some concerns about the lands proposed to be added including third-party requests that were assessed by regional staff and were not recommended for inclusion in the urban boundary. Other lands added to the urban boundary through modification were also not assessed by regional staff," it said.
It's not clear who's behind the requests. Neither the region nor the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing responded to The Trillium's request for comment before deadline on Wednesday. This story will be updated later if a response comes.
Stiles said she thinks "it points in a certain direction" but couldn't provide any concrete evidence.
Approving the six municipalities' official plans came on top of similarly contentious changes made to Ottawa's and Hamilton's last fall.
On Nov. 4, 2022 — the same day the government announced its now-defunct Greenbelt land swap — former housing minister Steve Clark expanded Ottawa's and Hamilton's urban boundaries.
In 2021, Ottawa city council voted to expand its boundary by over 1,200 hectares. Clark added an additional 650 hectares.
That same year, Hamilton city councli voted to keep its urban boundary intact to force additional development upwards, not outwards. Council's decision conflicted with recommendations from city staff. Hamilton's planners said the city should expand its boundary by 1,300 hectares. Councillors nixed that in the face of public opposition.
Some of the same developers who stood to benefit from the government's Greenbelt land swap have land included in the new boundary, according to CBC News.
Clark ordered the city to expand its boundary by 2,200 hectares, above and beyond the city staff's 2021 recommendation.
Liberal MPP Stephen Blais, who represents an Ottawa riding, is concerned with the move. He's raised questions about one particular parcel of land.
A 37-acre farm previously zoned for agricultural use was included in the boundary expansion. It was purchased for nearly $13 million in 2021 by a company whose directors have donated over $12,000 to the Tories in 2021 and 2022, according to reporting by CBC News.
Blais asked the auditor general to look into the sale. He was supported by Ottawa city council, which asked current Housing Minister Paul Calandra to reconsider the move.
“The auditor general’s report on the Greenbelt exposed how the Ford government has been playing fast and loose with development decisions, putting party insiders and friends ahead of the public interest,” Blais said in a statement. “I am asking the auditor general to investigate whether the same thing happened in Ottawa.”
The NDP also asked acting auditor general Nick Stavropoulos to study how the official plans were approved.
