Roundup: Ford getting huffy about his Greenbelt plans

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There was a hint of defensiveness from Ontario premier Doug Ford yesterday when he was asked about comments that the federal environment minister Steven Guilbeault made about the plans to develop parts of the Greenbelt. Guilbeault had pointed out that the plan goes against plans for dealing with climate change, and that he could look at potential federal tools to stop those projects, though later his office clarified that there are currently no projects proposed, so this was about potential legal processes to protect nature, which is fair enough, but is really getting up to the line on what he can actually do there.

Doug Ford, however, got a bit huffy and insisted that this is his jurisdiction, and then blamed the federal government’s immigration targets for needing to open up new spaces for housing development, which is bullshit because Ford has the tools to force cities to end exclusionary zoning that prevents densification, but he chooses not to use them. As well, much of the Greenbelt is on watersheds so you really don’t want to build housing there because it’ll be at high risk of flooding, and good luck getting those properties insured. It’s really not the place you want to build housing, so Ford is really not making any good case there for carving up those protected areas.

Of course, Jagmeet Singh also chimed in and demanded that the federal minister use his “tools” to stop the development, citing both the Species at Risk Act and the Impact Assessment Act as possibilities, but that’s on some pretty thin ice. To use the Species legislation, well, you need to prove there is endangered habitat there, which may not be a relevant consideration in those particular places. And the Impact Assessment Act would be going out on a very big limb to try and assert jurisdiction there because there is unlikely to be an interprovincial federal effect to hang it on (such as increased GHGs or mine runoff). Yes, the minister currently has the power to add any project in exceptional circumstances, but I’m not sure this would qualify, if those powers are around much longer, because they’re being challenged in the Supreme Court of Canada in March, and this is far less of a sure thing than the carbon pricing legislation. Once again, there are very few ways for the federal government to swoop in and assert jurisdiction, and they may not have the ability to come to the rescue of the Greenbelt (and yes, Ontarians are going to have to organise if they want to stop the development).

Ukraine Dispatch, Day 339:

Renewed Russian shelling in the east and south killed ten Ukrainian civilians and wounded twenty others. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russians are focusing on Vuhledar and Bakhmut, methodically destroying towns and villages as they go. Meanwhile, here’s the tale of Canadian medic serving on the front lines near Bakhmut in Ukraine.

Good reads:

  • Pierre Poilievre took a swipe at Justin Trudeau in a speech to his caucus. Trudeau took a swipe back at Poilievre in a speech to his caucus. Here’s the analysis.
  • The Fiscal Monitor shows that the government is running a $3.6 billion deficit eight months into the fiscal year (which is a rounding error for the size of government).
  • David Lametti says the revived Law Commission of Canada is coming “soon.”
  • Marco Mendicino is unhappy that RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki is ignoring the directive to stop using neck holds, which he is within his authority to issue.
  • The Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency says it’s not worth the effort to go through every CERB recipient, but will base efforts on risk and fraud suspects.
  • Here’s a deep dive into the broadcasting bill which is still in the Senate, and will see debate on adopting amendments when Parliament returns next week.
  • The Parliamentary Protective Service expects some 500 attendees to the occupation anniversary reunion on Wellington Street this weekend.
  • The Supreme Court of Canada struck down one mandatory minimum sentence and clarified the test for removing them, and used that test to uphold another one.
  • If you thought the use of outside communications firms by Ahmed Hussen and other ministers was unusual, it’s fairly common, and Poilievre has been doing it too.
  • Former sports minister Kirsty Duncan says the government dropped the ball on safe sports and investigating abuse once she was shuffled from the portfolio.
  • Manitoba is sending out a new round of vote-buying cheques in advance of an election, while the finance minister quit in anticipation of a federal run.
  • There are more conflicting statements as to just what was part of the “review” of whether or not Danielle Smith’s staff was emailing prosecutors to pressure them.
  • BC premier David Eby is hiring a number of special advisors to his office, raising questions about centralising power and side-lining Cabinet ministers.
  • Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi is calling for Wellington Street to remain closed to traffic until the federal government can negotiate its takeover.
  • Kevin Carmichael looks at how the Bank of Canada has been getting ahead of the US Federal Reserve when it comes to setting rates (and hopefully crushing inflation).
  • My weekend column on this government’s inability to learn their lessons around communicating problems and solutions as people declare things “broken.”

Odds and ends:

Germany is commemorating LGBT+ victims of the Holocaust, whose persecution carried on after the camps were liberated.

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One thought on “Roundup: Ford getting huffy about his Greenbelt plans”

  1. The way things are set up in Canada, the police could easily stage a coup d’Etat since they are outside of the reach of politicians and the Gov. This could happen in Canada, it has happened in other European countries in the 20th century. The weakness of elected officials is breathtaking and the convoy of last year is a good example of what can happen.

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