Ontario Premier Doug Ford is unbothered by a new federal study intended to gauge the environmental impact of planned housing developments near the province's Greenbelt.
On Tuesday, Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, launched a study on the potential effects of development projects adjacent to the Rouge National Urban Park in Scarborough.
The study seeks to understand how past, present, and future developments will affect the integrity of the Rouge, including ecological connectivity throughout the park and with adjacent natural areas, as well as the protection of biodiversity, natural resources, and natural processes.
The Rouge National Urban Park is adjacent to the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve. A portion of the preserve is included in the 7,400 acres of Greenbelt land the province has opened up for development.
When asked about Guilbeault's study during a press conference in Vaughan, Ford said he had "was not too concerned about it."
"It shouldn't slow down our development plans. It's adjacent, it's not right there. But good luck to him," the Premier said, noting that he hadn't been given a heads up about the study.
"We're going to build a beautiful community there. The park is absolutely critical. I'm quite pleased on the progress right now to build more homes... We're going to continue building and focusing on the plan we have."
This is not the first time the political figures have been at odds over the province's plans to build 50,000 homes on the Greenbelt.
Expressing concern over the development plans in January, Guilbeault said he would look into using federal tools to put a stop to some of the proposed projects. Ford fired back, "This is our jurisdiction."
The study of the Rouge National Urban Park will be conducted by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada in collaboration with Parks Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The agencies will spend the next three months determining the terms and scope of the study, and the proposed approach will be presented to Guilbeault by June. An exact date has yet to be determined, but the goal is to complete the study "as soon as possible."
