Greenbelt Controversy: Housing minister Clark apologetic; refuses to resign

The opposition has been constantly demanding the resignation of Ontario's Housing Minister Steve Clarke.

In the meantime, Minister Clark has refused to resign while issuing the latest statement in Toronto.

In fact, on August 9, a new report by the Auditor General of Ontario revealed how thousands of hectares of greenbelt land was opened for housing development.

A 95-page report released by Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk reviewed how the state government chose to exclude 810,000 hectares of farmland, forest and wetlands from Niagara Falls to Peterborough from the Greenbelt.

Ontario's Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake's report states that the Housing Minister failed to properly oversee the process of selecting protected greenbelt land for housing development, allowing the interests of some private developers to influence the project.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Thursday reiterated his pledge to build more homes in the province and insisted Housing Minister Steve Clark's continued role in his government.

Ford said Housing Minister Steve Clarke would remain part of the team as the government tries to meet its pledge to build 1.5 million homes over 10 years.