Steve Clark, once renowned as Ontario’s Housing Minister, has chosen to bow out of his role. This decision had been conveyed through a letter, which made its rounds in social media. In this missive, Clark confessed his need to step away due to the housing crisis demanding an authority whose presence doesn’t deviate from the substantial tasks that lie at hand.
Clark explained, “Even though at the onset I had contemplated remaining in my position with a view of introducing an apt process to prevent further mistakes, I now seem to realise that my continued presence might only shift focus away from the crucial work pending to be done, and understand that I should take responsibility for what has occurred”. Despite his resignation, Clark continues to be an active member of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party and stands as the representative for his territory of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.
This relinquishment of his ministerial duties has surfaced coinciding two significant Greenbelt reports. These documents revealed an extremely flawed system, one that was biased towards certain developers and grossly lacked transparency. Amidst this scenario, Ontario’s integrity commissioner recommended that Clark be reprimanded in the Legislature for his lax oversight in choosing the lands within the Greenbelt for development.
In the aftermath of the investigation, it was found that Clark had violated sections 2 and 3(2) of the Members’ Integrity Act, which revolve around conflicts of interest and the misuse of insider information. Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake stated that Clark had misconstrued a mandate letter relating to the removal of land from the Greenbelt. This misinterpretation led to an expedited timeline, triggered Clark’s withdrawal from overseeing the decision-making process and led him to present the proposal to the cabinet without thoroughly scrutinizing his staff’s selections.
Wake’s report, a comprehensive 166-page document, posits that inadequate leadership paved the way for certain developers to secure improper advantages. A month before this report surfaced, Ontario’s auditor general found that around 92% of the 7,400 acres of land removed from the Greenbelt could be linked to three developers who had direct connections with the housing ministry.
Both these reports have primarily attributed blame on Clark’s chief of staff, Ryan Amato, who proposed 14 of the 15 Greenbelt sites and has also resigned. However, the reports emphasized that the housing minister should have been more involved in such a significant initiative.
Throughout this ordeal, Premier Doug Ford has been steadfast in his support of Clark, asserting that he had faith in his team’s ability to achieve governmental housing goals to construct 1.5 million homes within a decade. This argument has repeatedly been used by the Progressive Conservatives as a rationale for slicing up the Greenbelt.
Premier Ford expressed his gratitude for Clark’s service to the Cabinet via social media and voiced his faith in Clark’s continued valuable contribution to their team at Queen’s Park. Meanwhile, Opposition parties have been ardent in their call for Clark’s resignation in the aftermath of the auditor general’s groundbreaking report.
In the announcement made on Monday, Marit Stiles, the leader of the NDP, acknowledged Clark’s acceptance of his role in the controversy as a positive sign, but asserted that the two damning reports and an RCMP probe reveal a corruption rooted far deeper than just Clark’s office. Stiles continues to demand a recall of the legislature and the return of the Greenbelt land.
