Some Hamilton councillors say they'll stand in front of bulldozers to stop Greenbelt development

Some frustrated and reluctant Hamilton councillors say they'll go to great lengths to stop development of the Greenbelt, even if it means physically blocking construction.

"I'm prepared to sit in front of a bulldozer," said Coun. Ted McMeekin(Ward 15), who was a Liberal MPP for 18 years.

"It's OK to get arrested for breaking an unjust law."

But first, he and the majority of council agreed on Friday, the city should participate in discussions, albeit "under protest," with a provincial facilitator and developers. It may be the only chance for planning staff to weigh in on when and how the areas should be developed if at all, McMeekin said.

Coun. Mark Tadeson (Ward 11) said one day he could be joining McMeekin to block construction, but agreed it's worth going through the planning process.

But that didn't stop other councillors from firing shots at Premier Doug Ford's government.

Discussions 'proceeding very well,' province says

Coun. Maureen Wilson (Ward 1) called the facilitator discussions "absolutely political theatre" and John-Paul Danko (Ward 8) said the process has"no legitimacy."

Coun. Alex Wilson (Ward 13) accused the province of being a "transparently corrupt government." They noted the auditor general's ongoing investigation into whether developers were tipped off about the Greenbelt housing plan, which Ford has denied.

"I don't think we can negotiate with bullies," Alex Wilson said. "I think the future is decided by the people of this province and they don't want the Greenbelt to be developed, so the Greenbelt will not be developed."

When asked about this pushback, provincial spokesperson Victoria Podbielski said the land and development facilitator, Paula Dill, will support discussions between the city and developers to set "concrete" timelines to build housing.

"The ongoing discussions are proceeding very well, and we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the city to deliver the attainable/affordable homes Hamiltonians deserve," said Podbielski on behalf of housing Minister Steve Clark.

Councillor accusesFord of cronyism

The day before council met, Ford was in Hamilton for an unrelated announcement where he accused the city of being resistant to Greenbelt development because "it's easy to say, 'not in my backyard'" (NIMBY).

However, Coun. Craig Cassar (Ward 12) clapped back that the premier must not understand the term "NIMBY-ism" because that's the opposite of what Hamilton's proposing to meet its housing targets by building within its existing urban boundary.

"Hamilton is absolutely saying, 'in my backyard,'" Cassar said. "That's what building a dense, thriving city is. Building on our Greenbelt is not in our backyard. It's on our farmland; it's on our wetlands; it's on our shrinking Carolinian forest.

"Building on the Greenbelt is quite a different 'ism.' I would suggest it's cronyism."

Coun. Esther Pauls (Ward 7) objected to other councillors "calling people names," passionately saying council should be respectful if they want the province to listen.

But Coun. Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2) said Hamilton is beyond that point.

"I do not have respect for a government whose heavy handedly making a decision about our Greenbelt lands without the consultation of the people here," he said.

Coun. Brad Clark (Ward 9), a Progressive Conservative MPP under Premiers Mike Harris and Ernie Eves from 1999 to 2003, also criticized the Ford government's plansaying the city's message to the facilitator will be that it's extremely expensive to develop the land, as there's currently little to no existing services or infrastructure there.

And if development goes ahead, wetlands need to be properly buffered and preserved and the city can charge developers to cover service and infrastructure costs, Clark said.

Council also voted for the city to hold its own public consultation next month and will request all MPs and MPPs to attend, as well as the provincial facilitator.