Ontario's urban boundary reversal a 'big victory' for Hamilton, mayor says
Following months of pressure, the Ford government will shrink Hamilton's boundary back to its original size
The Ontario government says it will reverse its decision to expand Hamilton's urban boundary.
The announcement Monday from Housing Minister Paul Calandra comes after months of public protest. City council and many residents voiced their opposition to the province's changes to Hamilton's official plan that allowed housing development on rural land.
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath described the province's reversal as a "big victory."
"I want to thank everyone who fought for this moment, who stood up for our natural environment and farmland, and who sent a message that the people of Hamilton care deeply about their city and doing what's right for our residents and our future," Horwath said in a statement.
The province ordered Hamilton to add 2,200 hectares of land to its urban boundary in November 2022. It made similar changes to the official plans of 11 other municipalities, including Niagara Region, which were also reversed Monday.
Calandra said he has been reviewing past decisions of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to ensure they were made in a "manner that maintains and reinforces public trust."
He said "it is clear" the changes made to urban boundaries "failed to meet that test." Calandra added there was "too much involvement from the minister's office, too much involvement from individuals in the minister's office" in those decisions.
Calandra will soon be introducing legislation to restore municipalities' original boundaries, he said.
Councillor wants RCMP to investigate
Advocacy group Stop Sprawl's Lilly Noble said it was a "historic" day for thousands of Hamiltonians who "engaged in this fight."
This is the second significant flip flop the Ford government has made this fall. It also returned 15 parcels of land — including five in the Hamilton area — to the Greenbelt. The RCMP has launched a criminal investigation into the province's plan to open the protected land up to development.
Hamilton Coun. Maureen Wilson is pushing for the RCMP to also look into the province's decision to expand Hamilton's urban boundary.
In her motion to be considered at council on Wednesday, Wilson points to the integrity commissioner's report that found "a select group of lawyers and land development consultants were invited to a private meeting" where they signed off on official plan amendments.
Meanwhile, city staff were not consulted on the changes or given any opportunity to review and respond to the proposed amendments, Wilson's motion says.
CBC Hamilton previously reported that the provincially mandated urban boundary expansion included land near the airport owned by developers who also benefitted from the Greenbelt expansion.
During the public consultation period for the urban boundary expansion in 2022, the province received over 80 comments. The majority were from respondents who identified themselves as residents opposed to province's changes. About a dozen comments came from developers and their representatives who own land in the expansion area and advocated for the amendments.
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