Thread by @MikeSchreiner

In case they need reminding, I’ve compiled a list of all the times Doug Ford and his housing minister Steve Clark said they wouldn’t touch the #Greenbelt (caution: long 🧵 ahead):

FORD, May 2018: Unequivocally we won’t touch the Greenbelt.

FORD, April 2018: I give you my commitment that anything that we look at on the Greenbelt will be replaced.

CLARK, Dec 2018: Speaker, we are going to protect the Greenbelt. We are going to not support any municipal plan under the open-for-business tool that would do that.

CLARK, Dec 2018: We will reject any request from a municipal government to put the Greenbelt at risk...I am making that commitment today. We will protect the Greenbelt. This government will protect the Greenbelt.

CLARK, Dec 2018: We’ve been very clear as a government that we’re not going to touch the Greenbelt in its entirety. That’s our commitment to Ontarians. We made the commitment during the campaign. I make it here today.

CLARK, May 2019: We’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again today: We’ll protect the Greenbelt in all its beauty.

CLARK, June 2019: Premier Ford has been crystal clear on this: We will preserve the Greenbelt in all of its beauty.

CLARK, Feb 2020: Our government knows how important the Greenbelt is to all Ontarians and to the environment. I want to assure everyone that I am committed to protecting the Greenbelt for future generations.

CLARK, July 2020: Our commitment to protecting the Greenbelt has not changed. We will not entertain any requests for minister’s zoning orders inside the Greenbelt.

CLARK, July 2020: We will not consider any requests for minister’s zoning orders within the Greenbelt.

CLARK, Oct 2020: We’ve made it very clear to people who have sent us resolutions about developing in the Greenbelt that the answer is no.

CLARK, Oct 2020: If you’re going to give us a request to develop property within the Greenbelt, we have one short answer: No.

FORD, Dec 2020: I have not touched the Greenbelt. We won’t touch the Greenbelt. We won’t build on the Greenbelt.

FORD, Dec 2020: We aren’t touching the Greenbelt. We said we weren’t going to touch it. We support the Greenbelt. We’re pouring money into the Greenbelt.

CLARK, March 2021: We’ve been clear that we are expanding the Greenbelt and will not develop any part of it.

CLARK, March 2021: I have been, on behalf of our government, extremely clear that we will not accept a proposal to develop in the Greenbelt.

FORD, March 2021: We’re expanding the Greenbelt. We will not build on the Greenbelt. We’ll make sure we protect the Greenbelt.

FORD, April 2021: I’m not touching the Greenbelt.

CLARK, May 2021: I believe we have a great opportunity to grow the Greenbelt in a very significant way since its creation in 2005.

Fast forward to Nov 2022. Ford says we have a housing crisis & need to pave over the Greenbelt. We know that’s not true. #PromiseMadePromiseBroken #HandsOffTheGreenbelt #onpoli

thestar.com/opinion/contri…