While the stories of 2023 mostly contained headlines about the current state of the construction economy, the housing crisis and the future of the sector with technological advances like artificial intelligence, there were some more specific news items that still managed to grace the front page time and again with one common thread among them: the Ontario government.
Government reps get their hands dirty in Greenbelt scandal
It all began in late November 2022 when then Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark announced the province would remove 7,400 acres in 15 different areas of the Greenbelt in order to build 50,000 homes. This defied an earlier pledge to leave the Greenbelt alone.
Questions swirled then about the landowners who could have benefitted from the land removals and the developers involved, to the point where in January 2023 the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said they were looking into the matter, but didn’t state they were investigating it officially.
Separate inquiries were then launched by both the integrity commissioner and the auditor general.
But it wasn’t until late summer that things began to truly unravel on the Greenbelt front.
In early August, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk’s scathing report stated all but one of the sites removed were suggested by Clark’s chief of staff Ryan Amato, who was given packages during a Building Industry and Land Development Association event by two prominent developers. She also stated if some sites didn’t meet the criteria for selection, that criterion was dropped. Premier Doug Ford’s office responded by stating a working group would be created to tackle improving processes.
Then the integrity commissioner chimed in saying it was reviewing a request from Ford’s office to look into Amato. By Aug. 22 Amato resigned and the very next day the OPP referred the matter to the RCMP to evaluate the information. Ford stepped in on Aug. 25 to say he was confident nothing criminal occurred.
At the end of August Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake released his report looking into Clark. He found Clark violated two sections of the Members Integrity Act and recommended he be reprimanded. Wake found the process of selecting lands to be removed from the Greenbelt was marked by “unnecessary hastiness and deception.” He also found Amato was the “driving force” behind that process and that Clark was unaware, although he should have known.
On Sept. 4 Clark formally resigned and Ford shuffled cabinet, appointing Paul Calandra as the new housing minister. Ford then reversed all Greenbelt land removals in late September.
By the end of 2023, Calandra had tabled legislation that will reverse course on urban and regional boundary expansions, the RCMP’s investigation continues, and in essence the Greenbelt was back to where it started.
—With files from The Canadian Press
Light rail project not light on problems
The waiting game continues for an official opening date for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, after a year of ups and downs when it came to the project that’s been over a decade in the making.
In April, then Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney and Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster faced numerous questions about what the holdups were.
When asked about a completion date, Mulroney said, “I would love to be able to provide a date but that is contingent upon CTS (Crosslinx Transit Solutions) delivering a credible schedule to Metrolinx and as of yet CTS has not been able to do that.”
Verster also spoke on the matter.
“We are using every lever and every remedy in our P3 contracts to get our contractor CTS to deliver on time, but the key thing is that the quality must be right, and a safe transit system must be delivered,” he said. “Metrolinx is not a construction company, but we have multibillion-dollar private sector companies that have the resources, the subcontractors, the people and the schedule and the means to deliver this.”
He said at the time there were 260 non-conformances and quality issues that had to be rectified at CTS’s expense.
In May it appeared a legal battle was brewing between CTS and Metrolinx. Crosslinx filed a Notice of Application with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice directed to Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario due to the failure of Metrolinx to retain an operator for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. Verster called it “another unacceptable delay tactic.”
Then, in August, there appeared to be a ray of hope an opening date would be announced. During an unrelated news conference, Verster said opening dates were expected to be released by the end of summer as construction at that time was 98 per cent complete.
But by the end of September Verster stated there would be no firm date announced or even a timeline after more delays and deficiencies were announced.
The last news on the LRT was that there were whisperings it could open in September 2024.
A new mayor for Toronto
It was an election no one saw coming.
Former Toronto mayor John Tory officially resigned in February after admitting to an “inappropriate relationship” with someone who used to work for him. This triggered a snap election that was called for June 26.
Over 100 candidates entered the race, but it was only six or seven that became prominent names throughout the campaign period.
But it was former NDPer and past city councillor Olivia Chow, former deputy mayor Ana Bailio and former police chief Mark Saunders who seemed to dominate the polls.
At the centre of the debate was the city’s housing crisis, the future of Ontario Place and municipal finances.
It was Chow who ultimately secured Toronto’s top spot, with industry stakeholders keen to work with her, particularly on the housing file.
“I will dedicate myself to work tirelessly in building a city that’s more caring, affordable and safe where everyone belongs,” Chow said in her victory speech.
“I said to Premier (Doug) Ford, who graciously called me tonight…he said, ‘We look forward to working together and finding common ground.’”
Ontario Place at the centre of debate
A spa that is aiming to transform Ontario Place was met with harsh criticism throughout 2023 with the government also front and centre for its decisions on the iconic lands.
Therme Canada’s development on the West Island of Ontario Place includes an entry pavilion, a bridge that connects the mainland to the West Island, a main building that rises multiple storeys and public outdoor spaces. Its facilities will cost some $350 million, according to statements, with another $100 million to be spent on public projects.
While the spa has been met with fierce opposition, it was architect Diamond Schmitt who stepped in to defend it during the summer months. A blog reported on social media targeted Diamond Schmitt directly, calling into question the firm’s ethics for siding with Ford on the “mega spa” proposal. Ontario Place for All posted a photo of a sign that said, “Shame on Diamond Schmitt.”
That type of rhetoric is mean-spirited and just wrong, said Donald Schmitt, principal with the Toronto-based firm, but he suggested it goes with the territory of working as an architect designing an important new public building.
But it’s not just the spa that’s being questioned, a decision to move the Ontario Science Centre is also being criticized. Despite a business case stating the current facility would be costly to repair, opponents do not want to see the centre moved.
What will 2024 bring for Ontario Place? Well, at the end of 2023 it looked as though plans for the lands were going forward, with site preparation underway and the federal government nixing an impact assessment.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed