Concerns raised about removal from Greenbelt of potential Ontario hospital site
A pair of King Township councillors are the latest to express concern about the provincial government's plans to remove parts of Ontario's protected Greenbelt to build housing, as another leader calls for the police to step in.
Weeks after embracing a proposal to build a hospital on a parcel of land in King Township that’s among those slated to be removed from the Greenbelt, the councillors are now wondering what else could be built there.
That’s because records show the land where the hospital could go was sold for $80 million two months before the announcement it might be removed from the Greenbelt — among several properties whose relatively recent purchasers are political donors to the governing Progressive Conservative Party.
The councillors are worried that recouping that investment would require significant development on the formerly protected parcels, which has them concerned the hospital could be accompanied by urban sprawl.
“Is this province going to do something good or is this a land grab? Allowing the people who own these chunks of land to do what they would not be allowed to do? We need a conversation and a clarification,” said councillor Avia Eek in an interview with CTV News.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Eek, a farmer herself, said she supports a hospital but wants the provincial government to slow down and consider all options for development that could include land already slated for housing growth that wouldn’t touch protected farmland.
Fellow councillor Debbie Schaefer told CTV News she hoped the hospital would go through but worried about any effect on the Greenbelt.
“I’m certainly very concerned about what this will enable to happen on property adjacent to the hospital,” she said. “We need to stay within our urban boundaries, because that is the only way we’re going to have sustainable communities. And pushing way out into the rural areas beyond the urban boundaries is just sprawl.”
The land is on Bathhurst Street next to the boundary with Newmarket, making it ideal for a new location for Southlake Regional Health Centre. The hospital has received a $5 million grant from the provincial government and is on the hunt for up to 100 acres of land to build on, the hospital said in a statement.
All appeared to be lining up to make that King Township property a possible site, according to a township resolution in November, which said “the landowner has made a commitment to provide the necessary lands for the Southlake Regional Health Centre for a nominal fee.”
Records show the property was owned by one company since 1958. Then in September, it sold for $80 million to Green Lane Bathurst GP Inc., a company connected to developer Rice Group. That company and its principal Michael Rice appear to have given over $15,000 and counting to the PC Party since 2016, including to the leadership campaign of Doug Ford. The company has also given some $35,350 to the provincial Liberals between 2014 and 2017.
The Opposition NDP have alleged in the legislature there were more than $500,000 in donations from the owners of all properties, and have asked for the auditor general to investigate. The Green Party has also asked for the Integrity Commissioner to examine how the properties were picked.
And former Toronto Mayor David Miller called for a police investigation, writing on Twitter, “It is not possible to believe these land speculators paid tens of millions for land that could not be developed without knowing the Greenbelt protections would be removed.”
CTV News reached out to the OPP to ask if there is an investigation under way but did not hear back. Questions to Ontario’s Attorney General about whether there is a special prosecutor were returned with a short statement: “These claims are entirely baseless and without merit.”
The governing PC party has said it is trying to open up land for development to solve the province’s housing crisis.
“The proposed changes to the greenbelt would result in its overall expansion by approximately 2,000 acres, as well as the creation of at least 50,000 new homes. At the same time, we have the most ambitious plan for hospital expansion in Ontario’s history. Strengthening health care and tackling the housing supply crisis are not at odds, they are part of the government’s plan to build a better and brighter future for families,” said a Municipal Affairs and Housing Ministry spokesperson.
Reached at a press conference Friday morning, the premier focused on the positives of the possible hospital construction.
“South Lake is putting together plans, and submitting them to the health ministry. It’s one of our priorities,” he said.
“Folks, there’s never been more money spent on infrastructure and hospital in the history of this country, of this province.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.