Mike Schreiner says the province could meet its housing targets by building with urban boundaries instead of developing on the Greenbelt
The leader of Ontario's Green party says the Ford government's housing plan will cause more problems than it will solve.
We spoke with Mike Schreiner, who is in Niagara for the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting.
He says while he agrees with the province's goal of building over a million new homes over the next decade, he thinks the goal can be met by changing zoning rules instead of making changes to the Greenbelt.
"By changing zoning rules, it would enable us to build more homes within existing urban boundaries. So people can live, work and play in the same community, and we're not imposing sentient costs on them, and we're not paving over the farmland that feeds us and the wetlands and greenspace that are vital to cleaning our drinking water."
In November, the province announced plans to allow development on parts of the Greenbelt.
Housing Minister Steve Clark has said the plan would help provide more affordable housing, by increasing supply.
Schreiner says he thinks the province would be able to meet its target and increase affordable housing by building within existing urban boundaries.
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