Ontario Provincial Police say they’re working to determine whether they should investigate the government’s plans to open up the protected Greenbelt to development.
The Progressive Conservative government has proposed removing land from 15 different areas of the Greenbelt so that 50,000 homes can be built, while adding acres elsewhere.
Both Premier Doug Ford and his housing minister have said the government did not tip off developers ahead of announcing the plan – media reports have suggested some prominent developers who are Progressive Conservative donors stand to benefit from the move.
OPP spokesman Bill Dickson says the force’s Anti Rackets Branch is reviewing information from those who complained about the Greenbelt move in order to determine if there’s evidence to support an actual investigation.
Caitlin Clark, a spokeswoman for Ford, says no one in the premier’s office or any member of the government has been contacted and no documents have been requested by the OPP on the matter.
The government announced its Greenbelt development proposal in November – contradicting a pledge to not touch the lands – saying the plan was in service of the government’s target of building 1.5 million homes in 10 years.