Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023

What happened · Aug 28, 2026

The 2023 act that restored the lands added immunity provisions that wiped out related claims, the Court of Appeal upheld them on August 28, 2026, and no compensation payment has been reported.

The Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023 (Royal Assent December 6, 2023) 'strengthens immunity provisions', according to the ministry's decision notice. It also ended the province's 2022 settlement with Minotar Holdings. The Superior Court dismissed Minotar's constitutional challenge in March 2025. On August 28, 2026, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal 2-1. Minotar filed a separate claim in November 2025 seeking $300 million for breach of contract, and that claim has not been decided.

What happened · Dec 6, 2023

The Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023 put all 15 removed sites back in the Greenbelt and made future boundary changes require an act of the legislature, and e-Laws shows no amendment to the Greenbelt Act since.

Calandra introduced Bill 136 on October 16, 2023, and it received Royal Assent on December 6, 2023. The ministry's decision notice says the act 'restore[s] the 15 areas of land that were redesignated or removed from the Greenbelt in December 2022' and 'ensures that any future changes to the Greenbelt boundary can only be made through legislation.' The Greenbelt Act, 2005 on e-Laws lists no amendment after the 2023 act (checked October 2026).

What happened · Dec 6, 2023

Clark's ministry proposed removing about 7,400 acres from the Greenbelt in November 2022 and the removals took effect in December 2022; the government then put all 15 sites back by law on December 6, 2023.

On November 4, 2022, Clark announced a consultation on removing about 7,400 acres in 15 areas from the Greenbelt to build at least 50,000 homes. The removals took effect on December 14, 2022. After the Auditor General's and Integrity Commissioner's reports, the government restored all 15 sites through the Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023, which received Royal Assent on December 6, 2023.

Who benefited

• TACC (TACC Construction / TACC Developments, De Gasperis family)

  The Auditor General lists TACC Development Inc. as the housing developer for three sites removed from the Greenbelt in December 2022, together 58.27% of the removed area, including the 4,289-acre Duffins Rouge site. The Integrity Commissioner found TACC's president personally handed the housing minister's chief of staff a package for Cherrywood at a September 2022 developer dinner, and Cherrywood was then removed in full. The Auditor General cites an MPAC estimate of a $6.63 billion value increase for the Duffins Rouge site as a whole. The removals were reversed by statute in December 2023 and the government said it would not compensate developers, so the gain described here was potential and was not realized.

  Source: Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt — Auditor General of Ontario (Aug 2023), Report Re Minister Clark — Integrity Commissioner of Ontario (Aug 30, 2023), Who are the GTA developers set to benefit from Ford government's Greenbelt land swap? — CBC Toronto (Nov 11, 2022)

• Silvio De Gasperis

  President and CEO of TACC Group. The Integrity Commissioner found he had long sought development of Cherrywood and personally brought the removal request to the housing minister's chief of staff; Cherrywood was removed in December 2022. The removals were reversed by statute in December 2023 and the government said it would not compensate developers, so the gain described here was potential and was not realized.

  Source: Report Re Minister Clark — Integrity Commissioner of Ontario (Aug 30, 2023), Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt — Auditor General of Ontario (Aug 2023), This is how 2 Greenbelt deals went down, according to developers — CTV News / CP (Sept 2023)

• Rice Group

  The Auditor General lists Green Lane Bathurst Limited Partnership as the developer of the 655-acre Bathurst-King site removed from the Greenbelt (8.84% of the removed area). The Integrity Commissioner names the requestor as 'Green Lane Bathurst – Rice Group' and records that CEO Michael Rice gave the chief of staff a site package; CBC reported a company he controlled bought five parcels there for $80 million about two months before the removals were announced. The removals were reversed by statute in December 2023 and the government said it would not compensate developers, so the gain described here was potential and was not realized.

  Source: Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt — Auditor General of Ontario (Aug 2023), Report Re Minister Clark — Integrity Commissioner of Ontario (Aug 30, 2023), Who are the GTA developers set to benefit from Ford government's Greenbelt land swap? — CBC Toronto (Nov 11, 2022)

• Fieldgate Developments

  The Auditor General lists Fieldgate Homes as the developer of the 1,809-acre Book Road site in Hamilton, 24.41% of all land removed from the Greenbelt and the second-largest removal. The Integrity Commissioner reports Fieldgate's president had been acquiring Book Road lands since about 2016. The removals were reversed by statute in December 2023 and the government said it would not compensate developers, so the gain described here was potential and was not realized.

  Source: Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt — Auditor General of Ontario (Aug 2023), Report Re Minister Clark — Integrity Commissioner of Ontario (Aug 30, 2023)

• Flato Developments

  The Auditor General lists Flato Upper Markham Village Inc. (10.58 acres) and Torca Inc. / Flato Developments (12.81 acres) as developers of two removed sites, and the Integrity Commissioner's requestor list names Flato Developments Inc. for the 19th Avenue site. The removals were reversed by statute in December 2023 and the government said it would not compensate developers, so the gain described here was potential and was not realized.

  Source: Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt — Auditor General of Ontario (Aug 2023), Report Re Minister Clark — Integrity Commissioner of Ontario (Aug 30, 2023), Who are the GTA developers set to benefit from Ford government's Greenbelt land swap? — CBC Toronto (Nov 11, 2022)

Who was hurt

• City of Pickering · $360,135 in costs, not reimbursed

  Pickering staff tallied $360,135 in direct and indirect costs from working on the Greenbelt removal plans, including about $90,000 in staff time, more than $178,000 for a Cherrywood financial-impact consultant and $90,000 in legal fees, and told the province its taxpayers were on the hook. CBC reported in August 2026 that it had not been reimbursed.

  Source: 2 municipalities ask Ontario government to compensate them for Greenbelt work — CBC / CP (Oct 22, 2023), 5 Ontario communities still waiting for reimbursement after Greenbelt scandal — CBC Toronto (Aug 24, 2026)

• Town of Grimsby · $82,000 in costs, not reimbursed

  Council unanimously asked the province to reimburse about $82,000 spent on legal, consulting and staff time 'as a direct result of the pressure placed upon the town by the provincial government' over the Greenbelt changes. CBC reported in August 2026 that it had still not been reimbursed.

  Source: 2 municipalities ask Ontario government to compensate them for Greenbelt work — CBC / CP (Oct 22, 2023), 5 Ontario communities still waiting for reimbursement after Greenbelt scandal — CBC Toronto (Aug 24, 2026)

• Regional Municipality of Durham · $322,000 in costs, not reimbursed

  An FOI briefing note reported by CBC says Durham Region incurred $322,000 in direct and indirect costs from the Greenbelt removals and their reversal, and the Region confirmed to CBC it has not been reimbursed.

  Source: 5 Ontario communities still waiting for reimbursement after Greenbelt scandal — CBC Toronto (Aug 24, 2026)