<html><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><div><div><div class="container position-relative" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; width: 960px; padding-right: 15px; padding-left: 15px; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; max-width: 960px; caret-color: rgb(33, 37, 41); color: rgb(33, 37, 41); font-family: museo-sans, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: relative !important;"><div class="row justify-content-center" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-right: -15px; margin-left: -15px; justify-content: center !important;"><div class="col-md-10 col-lg-8" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; width: 639.984375px; min-height: 1px; padding-right: 15px; padding-left: 15px; flex: 0 0 66.666664%; max-width: 66.666664%;"><div class="single__body" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 30px 0px;"><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped is-style-image-fullscreen wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 60px calc(-33.333333% - 5px) 20px; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: normal; --wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); width: auto; position: relative; left: unset; right: unset;"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 28px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(50% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap, 16px)/2); align-self: inherit;"></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px 60px 8px; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; padding-right: 20px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; color: rgb(62, 60, 57); width: 550px; max-width: 550px;">The City of Hamilton had decided to maintain its boundary after a year-long public consultation process, before the Ford government required it to sprawl into farmland. Photos: Carlos Osorio / The Narwhal</figcaption></figure><h2 class="wp-block-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 60px 0px 30px; font-family: "Quarto A", "Quarto B"; line-height: 40px; color: rgb(62, 60, 57); font-size: 36px;">Calandra could walk back some land zoning orders</h2><p class="selectionShareable" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: cordale, Georgia, Garamond, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(62, 60, 57); line-height: 27px; clear: both;">Calandra’s decision is a significant reversal for the Ford government: in the weeks since he took over from Clark, Calandra had maintained that the government would not reconsider Hamilton’s urban boundaries, even though the process that led to those changes involved some of the <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/hamilton-urban-boundary-expansion-docs/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(255, 68, 56); text-decoration: none;">same government staffers and developers</a> implicated in the Greenbelt scandal. </p><p class="selectionShareable" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: cordale, Georgia, Garamond, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(62, 60, 57); line-height: 27px; clear: both;">On Monday, Calandra said he’ll soon introduce a bill doing just that. If passed, the bill would also walk back urban boundary changes in Barrie, Belleville, Guelph, Ottawa, Peterborough, Halton Region, Niagara Region, Peel Region, Waterloo Region, York Region and Wellington County. Many of those changes opened more land for development than local councils had wanted, sparking public and political backlash. Speaking to reporters Monday, Calandra said a discussion with <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/shawn-menard-letter-council-urban-boundary-ottawa-1.6979785" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(255, 68, 56); text-decoration: none;">Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe</a>helped frame his approach.</p><p class="selectionShareable" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: cordale, Georgia, Garamond, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(62, 60, 57); line-height: 27px; clear: both;">“This really is a reset for me as a minister to work with municipal partners, so that we can remain focused on working together,” Calandra said.</p><p class="selectionShareable" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: cordale, Georgia, Garamond, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(62, 60, 57); line-height: 27px; clear: both;">Calandra said the legislation would have an exception for cases where construction might have already started, or where cancelling the official plan would go against another provincial policy. The municipalities included in the bill will now have 45 days to work with the government to amend their urban boundaries. He also said the government will “assist” with the costs of writing their growth plans again. The province is already facing <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10037164/ontario-municipalities-greenbelt-costs-province-repay/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(255, 68, 56); text-decoration: none;">requests for reimbursement</a> from two municipalities, Pickering and Grimsby, for expenses from the government’s Greenbelt reversal. </p><p class="selectionShareable" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: cordale, Georgia, Garamond, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(62, 60, 57); line-height: 27px; clear: both;">Calandra also said more walkbacks on the government’s housing policy may be coming: he has also reviewed the government’s use of a <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/ministers-zoning-order-ontario-explainer/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(255, 68, 56); text-decoration: none;">controversial land zoning power</a> called a minister’s zoning order, or MZO. The orders, which are unappealable and can be issued without public consultation, instantly fast-track development by changing how a piece of land can be used.</p><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped is-style-image-fullscreen wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 60px calc(-33.333333% - 5px) 20px; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: normal; --wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); width: auto; position: relative; left: unset; right: unset;"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 82px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(50% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap, 16px)*0.5); align-self: inherit;"></figure></figure></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>