Ontario Backtracks On Plan To Include Greenbelt Land In Caledon, Ont., Zoning Order Amid Pushback

The Ontario government says Greenbelt land will not be part of a new subdivision it’s proposing to fast-track in Caledon, weeks after residents were warned the province planned to use its authority to develop on a portion of the protected area.

The township, located about 45 minutes northwest of Toronto, held a meeting on Thursday night to discuss a proposed amendment to a ministerial zoning order (MZO) that would have opened for development 141 hectares of what is mostly farmland near the future site of Highway 413 — an area that included 41 hectares of protected Greenbelt land.

MZOs are a planning tool that lets the province bypass local planning rules and expedite projects it wants built.

Shortly before Thursday’s meeting, the province told both CBC Toronto and the town that contrary to what was included in the proposal, Greenbelt lands would remain protected. The area covered by the MZO amendment will now be 100 hectares.

Town planning staff, the local fire department and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority were all critical of the proposal to build on the land along Hurontario Street and McLaughlin Road, south of Old School Road.

The abrupt change of plans comes as the Ford government continues to face intense scrutiny about its plan to build housing on 15 sites across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) that were removed from the Greenbelt last December.

Two weeks ago, the province’s auditor general found the government’s process for choosing those sites favoured a small group of well-connected developers who now stand to make billions of dollars. The ensuing controversy prompted the resignation of the housing minister’s chief of staff and triggered a potential RCMP investigation into the matter.

Caledon residents who learned of the proposed MZO amendment after the public was notified on Aug. 3 were outraged to see Greenbelt land included in the proposal.

At the public meeting, Caledon resident Cheryl Connors urged council to oppose the MZO.

“It’s not good for the people of Caledon, it’s not good for us as taxpayers,” Connors said at the meeting.

“The environmentally sensitive features on that site will be harmed by putting dense housing development right there,” Connors said, speaking earlier to CBC Toronto before the meeting.

The saga started almost three years ago, according to Town of Caledon documents.

The province issued an MZO in July 2020 to allow several major developers to build a new neighbourhood in the Mayfield West area of Caledon. The landowners included Brookvalley Project Management, Fieldgate Developments, Laurier Homes, Mattamy Homes, Paradise Developments and The Conservatory Group.

Last year, Brookvalley Project Management — run by Nick Cortellucci of a prominent family of developers based in Vaughan, Ont. — submitted a proposal to build 4,551 mostly single family homes on land it owns adjacent to the area covered by the 2020 MZO.

Town of Caledon staff recommended councillors rejected that proposal earlier this year, arguing the application was “premature” and “incomplete.” Council referred the matter back to staff for more planning work.

In a public notice posted to its website on Aug. 3, 2023, the town said it received notice the province was proposing to amend the 2020 MZO to expand the area it covered to include 141 hectares currently used primarily for rural residential, agricultural and environmental purposes. If approved, the order would have allowed residential and commercial development, and would have downgraded environmental protections on Greenbelt lands.