The Voice of North Grenville
The North Grenville Times
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The Voice of North Grenville
Reaching by direct mail 8,500 homes and businesses in North Grenville www.ngtimes.ca
September 7, 2023
Vol. 11 No. 35
Steve Clark resigns from Cabinet NOW IN STOCK
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Photo of happier days: Steve Clark sworn into the Ford Cabinet by Ontario Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell in June, 2018
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In the wake of two official reports which found he had failed in his responsibilities as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark announced his resignation from that office on Monday. In his letter to Premier Ford, and in a statement issued on social media, he said: “As someone who has given my life to serving the people through our democratic institutions, it is my responsibility to adhere to the principles of Ministerial accountability. I will continue to serve my constituents as the MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.” This sudden and dramatic downturn in Steve Clark's political career has
bers' Integrity Act, 1994 "by failing to oversee the process by which lands in the Greenbelt were selected for development, leading to the private interests of certain developers being furthered improperly". By not supervising Amato, who, working closely with developers, chose 14 of the 15 tracts of land to be released from Greenbelt restrictions on development, Clark facilitated a process that has raised serious questions. The two Reports strongly rebuked him for this failure to do his job as Minister, and the Integrity Commissioner, while noting that he believed the Minister's claims "that he chose to absent himself from directing this file or receiving information on it" after Amato told him he
come as a genuine surprise to many of this constituents. Known over many years as an honest, articulate, and honourable man who represented his riding with efficiency and integrity, the conclusions of two reports, by the Auditor General and the Ontario Integrity Commissioner, has left his reputation severely damaged and his future political prospects more uncertain after his resignation. It has to be said that, at this stage, that there is no suggestion that Steve Clark, as Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing, did anything illegal, with the focus centering on his exChief of Staff, Ryan Amato. As a Minister, the Integrity Commissioner's Report found that Clark contravened sections of the Mem-
could "leave it with me", still concluded that "Mr. Amato's communications to developers must be attributed to Mr. Clark because I find he failed to oversee an important initiative in his ministry which led to some developers being alerted to a potential change in the government's position on the Greenbelt with the result that their private interests were furthered improperly" [Report Paras 574-575]. These private interests are said to have potentially benefitted to the amount of more than $8 billion. The Commissioner's conclusions are best summed up in this section: "It may seem incredible that Minister Clark would have chosen to stick his head in the sand on such an important initiative being undertaken by his ministry but I believe that was exactly what he did". [Para 251] Those who have known Steve Clark over the years will be surprised, to say the least, at this "head in the sand" attitude on his part, but the Report also provides a possible motive. Steve Clark, as M.P.P., had always been opposed to using Greenbelt lands for private development, and the sudden u-turn by the Ford Government on the issue after the last election caused him real concerns. The Commissioner's Report noted: "Minister Clark did
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