Statement from Mayor Horwath on Auditor General Report on the Greenbelt

HAMILTON, ON - Today, Mayor Andrea Horwath issued the following statement.

There is no doubt that the Greenbelt should be protected as a vital element of our environmental and agricultural resources. Today’s Auditor General report supports the City of Hamilton’s position that the proposed development of the Greenbelt is an unnecessary, ineffective and misguided measure that will not contribute to meeting Hamilton’s housing needs. I am calling on the Province of Ontario to abandon its plan to develop the Greenbelt and will be working with my Council colleagues and City staff to review the report and its implications for our continued advocacy against this provincial approach. The City of Hamilton provided insights and information to Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk in the course of her investigation, and her findings notably reference the following in regard to Hamilton parcels of the Greenbelt:

• “Greenbelt land was not needed to meet the current housing targets assigned to them by the Housing Ministry.”
• “Land sites removed from the Greenbelt in December 2022 were largely not serviced, were not in their servicing plans, and that many of the land sites would be challenging to prioritize and service in the near future, with some taking potentially 10 or more years to accomplish.”
• “Some of these sites would require considerable infrastructure to prepare them for housing development. In addition, the City of Hamilton noted that one of the sites-Book Road (Site #4), which accounted for nearly 25% of all land removed from the Greenbelt in 2022-is located in an area partially restricted from residential development because of its proximity to the Hamilton International Airport.”

I commend AG Lysyk for her work and extend my thanks to all Hamilton residents and elected officials who spoke out against the removal of Greenbelt lands. We will continue our efforts to address Hamilton’s urgent housing needs while prioritizing intensification, affordability and our commitments to conservation, Reconciliation and slowing the impacts of our climate crisis.