'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
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city, marking the first franchise in Canada
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.