Latest news with #GoldenHorseshoe
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Launch of mandatory Ontario Greenbelt review months overdue: internal docs
Social Sharing Ontario appears to be months behind launching a mandatory review of the Greenbelt, and opposition politicians and environmentalists are asking for a wide-ranging and transparent study of the protected lands to preserve their future. A mandatory 10-year-review of the Greenbelt Plan, which created the protected zone from development, was to have started earlier this year. As of late March that review had not formally begun, according to documents obtained by CBC News through a freedom of information request. Civil servants warned new Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack that the process should have started on Feb. 28, the day after Ontario elected the Ford government to a third term. "To date, (the Ministry) has initiated internal policy research and analysis, including developing possible approaches to consultation and Indigenous engagement," civil servants told the new minister in a March briefing note. The Greenbelt was created in 2005 to protect farm land and some of the most ecologically sensitive areas of the Golden Horseshoe region. The law provides environmental protection and specifies where development should not occur. The Greenbelt has been the subject of scandal for the Ford government since 2022, when it announced it would swap 15 pieces of land from the protected area and open them up for development. Reports from the auditor general and integrity commissioner found that the process to select lands was rushed and favoured certain developers. The property owners with land removed from the Greenbelt stood to see their land value rise by $8.3 billion, the auditor general found in her own Greenbelt investigation. Ford reversed course after heated public outcry and the RCMP continues to investigate the matter. WATCH | Ontario's 4 major parties say they would not build housing on the Greenbelt: Ontario's 4 major parties say they would not build housing on the Greenbelt 4 months ago Duration 2:06 Greenbelt law requires mandatory review every 10 years The legislation that created the Greenbelt requires a review every decade. That involves consultations with municipalities within the protected area and members of the public. It also requires the government hear from its own Greenbelt Council, a body of 10 representatives it appoints to meet regularly and provide advice to the minister on land use planning related to the protected area. But the civil servants say that as of March, the council only had one member and no chairperson. According to the Greenbelt council's website Monday, the sole remaining appointee's term expires on June 24. Seven members of that body, including former Toronto mayor and PC cabinet minister David Crombie, resigned in 2020 in protest over changes the Ford government made to the powers of conservation authorities. But the civil servants are also clear about the parameters of the review — it's not meant to shrink the protected zone. "Amendments shall not have the effect of reducing the total land area of the Greenbelt Plan," the briefing note says. Minister Flack's office did not respond to questions from CBC News on the status of the review or the Greenbelt Council. The briefing note puts the Greenbelt review at the top of a list of early priority decisions for the minister, labelling it a "medium" operational and reputational risk for the government. Critics concerned about possible 'minimal' review Given the political trouble the government has had with the Greenbelt, NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns said he's not surprised work on the review has been slow to progress. "The fewer times the word Greenbelt is uttered in public the better for them," he said. "Having a really minimal review push through quickly would probably be politically the easiest thing for them." While the review may seem like a simple formality, it's needed to help strengthen the protected zone, Tabuns said. He urged the government to consult widely on how to strengthen the law. "Every 10 years you've got to look at it to make sure it's in good shape," he said. "To make sure it's protected in the hope that any future attack will be blunted." Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said he's concerned the province has nearly reached the halfway point of the year and hasn't made any meaningful progress on the review. "I think it is critically important for public confidence that this review take place, that it be rigorous, and it be designed in a way to ask questions about what we can do to strengthen the Greenbelt," he said. In light of the scandal, the government should use the review as a way to bolster public confidence in its management of the Greenbelt, Schreiner said. "I would say to the government, this is an opportunity to help you move forward in terms of the Greenbelt scandal and the public opposition that flowed from that, to say, 'We learned a lesson, and we're going to conduct a Greenbelt review, and we're going to do it in a way that talks about how to strengthen the Greenbelt,'" he said. The review must be expansive and the government must consult widely, said Tim Gray, the executive director of Environmental Defence. The last study, done a decade ago, took years and was substantive, he said. WATCH | The role public opinion had on Ford's Greenbelt plans: How much did public opinion affect Ford's decision to halt Greenbelt development? 2 years ago Duration 7:29 Premier Doug Ford's announcement to halt Greenbelt development comes after recent polling showed his personal approval rating dropped to a five-year low. Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, breaks down how much of a role she thinks public opinion played in the decision. "It is important that we do a check in and upgrade it where necessary, expand it where necessary, and address threats to it where it's necessary," Gray said. Tony Morris, conservation policy and campaigns director at Ontario Nature, said he's concerned the government will want to perform a quick review that "tinkers at the edges." "It's critical that the process be transparent and it be science-based," he said. "It must be open to Indigenous communities and all stakeholders to actually be involved and feel like they're being heard, which means that it has to be a well thought out process with appropriate timelines."
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New cell phone policy on Fayette BOE May 6 agenda
The Fayette County Board of Education plans a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 6 at Oak Hill High School. Among the agenda items is the first reading of a new cell phone policy that is being planned in response to state legislation signed into law earlier this week by Gov. Patrick Morrisey. On April 29, Morrisey was joined by students, legislators and supporters at Lincoln Middle School in Shinnston to sign House Bill 2003, which prohibits the use of personal electronic devices by students in elementary and high school classrooms. There are exceptions provided for in the legislation. Also that day, Senate Bill 280, which requires public schools to display the United States motto 'In God We Trust,' was signed by the governor. 'As governor, one of my top priorities is to improve West Virginia's educational rankings,' Morrisey said in a press release. 'To do that, we must focus on academics and remove classroom distractions.' HB 2003 empowers county boards of education to prohibit the use of personal electronic devices in classroom settings. According to Fayette County Schools Superintendent Gary Hough, some Fayette schools have already implemented their own individual cell phone polices. 'We'd like to have some consistency,' he said. County principals will discuss the situation in a meeting Monday, said Hough, who noted that each school classroom in Fayette County is equipped with a phone 'that reaches out to 911 immediately' in the event of an emergency. Recognitions and reports on the Tuesday board agenda include: • Mary Ann Freeman — Golden Horseshoe winners; • Dawn Dooley — Young Writers; • Dawn Dooley — Governor School Recipients 2025; and • Sandra Whitaker — Regional and State Social Studies Fair winners. The board is expected to take final action on several policy revisions recommended by Hough and also introduce first readings of other policies. Among those set for final action are policies relating to employment of substitutes, suspension, teacher workload/supplemental duties, suicide prevention, graduation requirements and the schools and community agencies. Before the board for first reading will be the cell phone policy and polices on fund accounting, travel payment and reimbursement and property inventory, The agenda also includes a recommendation from Hough for a $190,520 purchase of Microsoft Surface computers from Zones LLC (state contract) to replace outdated teacher computers at Oak Hill and Midland Trail high schools and other schools as needed. Funding will be from Tools for Schools. And, the board will act on Hough's recommendation to approve a request for out-of-state/overnight travel. The Fayette Institute of Technology HOSA students (approximately four students) are planning to attend the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tenn. on June 17-22. Chaperones will be FIT instructors Annette Ashley, Andrea Anderson, Brian Richmond and FIT Director Robert Keaton. Travel will be by charter bus. Funding will be from FIT funds. Hough recommends approval of accounts payable in the amount of $1,203,846.28. A list of bills is available upon request from the central office. There will also be personnel actions and other items of discussion. Future meetings of the board include: Tuesday, May 13, special meeting/budget hearing, board office, 9 a.m.; and Thursday, May 22, regular meeting at Meadow Bridge High School, 6 p.m.
CBC
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Polls predicted election well, except some weird Ontario results, says pollster
Philippe Fournier, a poll analyst and editor-in-chief of 338Canada, says poll forecasts before the election did predict the result well in most parts of the country, but they failed to capture stronger-than-expected Conservative voting in Ontario's Golden Horseshoe and Pierre Poilievre's surprise loss in Ottawa.
