'Force the premier to keep his promise': Calls to end Bill 23 at rally in Cambridge
Demonstrators in Cambridge are hoping greenbelt and conservation lands can be protected from new home development.
The event at the Dumfries Conservation Area Saturday afternoon was held in protest of the provincial government's More Homes Built Faster Act.
The act aims to build 1.5 million homes in Ontario over the next 10 years, remove 74,000 acres from the protected greenbelt, add new protected lands elsewhere, and effectively open the land up for housing for the first time.
Protestors say the bill threatens sustainability by not considering the wetlands system as a whole.
"There's a big gap for conservation authorities at this point in terms of funding," said Mike Marcolongo of the Greenbelt Promise Campaign. "Will they be looking at land disposition as a way to make up for it? That's not a fair proposition for them and we're here to remind the public that this is betrayal by the conservator MPPs in this area as well as Premier [Doug] Ford."
They add that the plan wasn't a part of Doug Ford's election campaign and has left some feeling betrayed.
"Every time the premier has said I'm going to open the greenbelt for development people have pushed back and forced the premier to backtrack," said Mike Schreiner, leader of the Ontario Green Party. "He's broken his promise once again. I've documented almost 20 times where the premier and his housing minister explicitly said they would not open the greenbelt for development.
"We have to force the premier to keep his promise."
Some protestors plan to keep holding similar rallies calling for the end to Bill 23. The next one is set for Queens Park in Toronto on Feb. 21.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.