In a press conference at Niagara Falls on Thursday afternoon a contrite Premier Doug Ford told reporters that he made a mistake by opening up the Greenbelt and will be reversing his decision which he had fiercely defended until now.
Ford also acknowledged that he had broken his promise to Ontarians not to touch the Greenbelt.
“I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t touch the Greenbelt. I broke that promise. And for that, I’m very, very sorry. I pride myself on keeping our promises,” Ford said.
Admitting that the process was flawed, Ford said “we moved too quickly” and “made the wrong decision”.
Stating that he listens to the people and his caucus, the premier said that he had admitted his mistake and apologized, now it is time to move forward.
He reiterated his decision to build more houses, while adding that his government was putting more land into the Greenbelt than was previously done.
When asked about the allegations made with regard to former Public and Business Service Delivery Minister Kaleed Rasheed who resigned yesterday, the premier said he it was the first time he head about it and that he expects transparency from everyone.
As for whether there are any financial repurcussions of returning the Greenbelt land, Ford said it was being worked out and that his government would be transparent about it.
