Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark resigns amid Greenbelt land swap controversy

Ontario’s Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has announced he is resigning, after weeks of pushback from political opponents and residents following multiple investigations into his department’s handling of the Greenbelt land swap.

His resignation comes after Ontario’s integrity commissioner investigated his conduct and recommended Clark be reprimanded, saying he failed to properly oversee the process that led to protected Greenbelt lands being selected for housing development.

Weeks earlier, the province’s auditor general found the process for choosing which parcels of land would be open for housing development was heavily influenced by a small group of well-connected developers who stand to make billions of dollars.

In a letter posted Monday morning addressed to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Clark said he tried to “fulfil the mandate of getting more homes built” for the people of Ontario.

“Although my initial thought was that I could stay in this role and establish a proper process so that these mistakes don’t happen again, I realize that my presence will only cause a further distraction from the important work that needs to be done and that I need to take accountability for what has transpired,” wrote Clark in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“As such, please accept my resignation as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. I will continue to serve my constituents as the MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.”