Is Ontario’s Greenbelt really safe?

It was one year ago today that Doug Ford gave The Narwhal’s Ontario bureau its biggest plot twist … yet.

Travel back in time with me: the date was Sept. 21, 2023. Besides it being the Ontario bureau’s second birthday, the province was deep in the throes of the Greenbelt scandal. Each new day brought another wild headline about the Ontario premier and his government’s attempt to build housing on protected Greenbelt land around the Greater Toronto Area. The words “massage,” “Las Vegas” and “Mr. X” were practically ringing in my ears. 

It had been nearly 11 months since I worked with our friends at the Toronto Star to break the story that the main beneficiaries of the land swap were well-connected developers — and we were still digging hard. As public anger cranked up higher and higher, Ford was doubling down, and the drama showed no sign of stopping. 

That is, until Ford stepped up to the microphone at a hasty press conference next to a Margaritaville — on that September day — and everything ground to a halt. 

“We’re putting this land back in the Greenbelt,” Ford said. 

With that, 3,000 hectares of green space were protected from development once more, and I screamed so loud it probably freaked out the neighbours — a moment that happened to be captured on tape.
 

Twelve months later, the scandal is mostly over, although the RCMP is still investigating. But is the Greenbelt actually safe now? I took it upon myself to look at how the Greenbelt’s farmland, forests and waterways are really doing, now that the spotlight has dimmed.

So, what did I find? Although the government has implemented a set of reforms and key players in the scandal are gone, some long-existing loopholes in the Greenbelt’s protections mean parts of it remain vulnerable. It’s currently about as safe as it was in 2021, when our bureau’s very first live event discussed the ways development was continuing to chip away at the protected zone.

From Highway 413 to the Niagara Escarpment, the Greenbelt is still under pressure. And that means our Narwhal team is still digging, powered by the many readers who make it possible for us to chase documents and news tips to our hearts’ content. Thanks for joining us on this journey.

Take care and always remember the 21st night of September,

Emma McIntosh
Ontario reporter


P.S. The Narwhal and the Toronto Star’s Greenbelt reporting earned the Michener Award — Canada’s most prestigious journalism prize — this year. Do you want to be part of a growing chorus of readers who give what they can to support our investigative reporting that holds the powerful accountable? Sign up today!