Here’s what to expect as MPPs return to Queen’s Park

Here's what to expect as MPP's return to Queen's Park for the fall session.

After a contentious summer, Members of Provincial Parliament will be returning to Queen’s Park for the fall session of the Ontario Legislature this week.

The Doug Ford government has let a few hints slip as to what they are planning in the coming months and will likely come prepared to table new legislation after a longer-than usual summer break.

Here’s what to expect:

The summer release of two bombshell reports on the government’s decision to develop parts of the Greenbelt have led to resignations, policy shifts, and a cabinet shuffle.

The reports stem from a November 2022 decision in which the Ontario government announced it would be removing 7,400 acres of protected green space and opening it up for housing.

Both the province’s auditor general and the integrity commissioner found in their reviews that a lack of supervision and leadership led to certain developers with ties to the housing ministry gaining an advantage in the selection process.

The reports were damning and painted a bleak picture of how government decisions were made. The integrity commissioner found that Housing Minister Steve Clark broke ethics rules by not overseeing his staff, which eventually led to his resignation as well as the resignation of his chief of staff.