Ontario ethics watchdog finds deals of 'deception' in removal of Hamilton, other lands from Greenbelt
CBC
New details have emerged about how Premier Doug Ford's government selected several sites in Hamilton to be removed from the Greenbelt, following an investigation by Ontario's ethics watchdog.
The 165-page report, released Wednesday by Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake, also recommended Housing Minister Steve Clark be reprimanded for his role in the province's contentious Greenbelt land swap and described it as a "rushed and flawed process" with a "lack of oversight."
It's the latest critique of the Ford government on the matter, after the province's auditor general released a scathing report earlier this month that showed how a small group of developers influenced the decision to open up the Greenbelt.
In the aftermath, the housing minister's chief of staff Ryan Amato resigned and the RCMP announced it is investigating the matter.
Wake found Amato took the lead in choosing 15 sites to remove from the Greenbelt, including five sites in the Hamilton area.
The report describes Amato receiving packages and pitches from multiple developers who own land in three of the local sites, including Tacc Developments' Silvio De Gasperis, UrbanCore Developments' Sergio Manchia and Penta Properties' Paul Paletta. (Penta is now called Alinea Group Holdings Inc.)
Those developers did not respond to requests for comment.
"The evidence paints a picture of a process marked by misinterpretation, unnecessary hastiness and deception," Wake wrote in his report.
"It shows that Mr. Amato … embarked on a chaotic and almost reckless process that I find led to an uninformed and opaque decision which resulted in the creation of an opportunity to further the private interests of some developers improperly."
In a statement to CBC News, Housing Minister Steve Clark said "there were clear flaws in the process that led to today's report. I am fully committed to fulfilling our government's promise to build at least 1.5 million homes and will ensure the process is done with integrity and trust."
Hamilton NDP MPP Sandy Shaw told CBC Hamilton she believes the process was never about building housing, but rather enriching developers.
"We need to call this what it is, which is collusion and corruption," she said.
Manchia, with UrbanCore Developments, has for 20 years persistently pushed for the Barton Street land — also referred to as Fifty Road land, in Stoney Creek — to be removed from the Greenbelt, according to the commissioner's report.
As housing ministry staffer Kristin Jensen told the integrity commissioner, Manchia "would just pick off every single chief of staff that worked literally for the minister at any point to make sure they were aware of his issue."
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