"The premier doesn't care that Hamilton council disagrees with the Greenbelt flip-flop" July 18 Canadian News update + commentary
That’s the way that provincial governments operate.
So Hamilton City Council is proceeding ‘under protest’ to begin discussions about residential development within the Greenbelt.
The ‘under protest’ designation is likely just to assuage the bruised political sensibilities of some councillors that the Ford government would have the audacity to ignore council’s policy of no urban boundary expansion and no Greenbelt development.
The truth is that nobody, including the premier himself, cares that Hamilton council disagrees with the Greenbelt flip-flop.
That’s the way that provincial governments operate.
Over the years, Hamilton has had regional government imposed on the area, then amalgamation forced upon us and downloading of social service costs to name just a few, and howls of anger and discontent from City Hall did nothing to change those policies, and we can expect the same result this time.
As I’ve stated many times, I strongly disagree with incursions into the Greenbelt and I think something stinks about how and why the government made their decision.
But even if investigations into that shady process indicate ethical or even legal breaches, it’s highly unlikely that the policy will change.
What Council should be doing now is engaging with local home builders.
They’re not the bad guys in this scenario; most of them live and work here and raise their families here and they too want the city’s growth to be smart and sustainable.
Just as previous councils had to deal with bad provincial policy, city council’s job now is to make the best of a bad situation.