They’re now slated to be opened for development. A company run by Ontario developer Michael Rice bought sections of undevelopable Greenbelt in King in September. Farmlands in the Greenbelt near King Township. The Narwhal/Star analysis of property records and corporate documents shows at least six developers bought parcels of land since 2018 that include portions of Greenbelt now set to be removed from the protected area. King Township’s municipal council is asking the province to limit housing on the lands and fast-track a hospital project there instead. Rice is chief executive officer of Rice Group: neither he nor the company responded to questions for this story. “Nobody would pay this amount of money for land if they didn’t think it was going to be open for development,” said Phil Pothen of the non-profit Environmental Defence. The timing is raising questions about whether the landowners knew the lands would soon become developable and profitable - or if they simply took a gamble and won.
Lobbying records reveal connections between the party and five of the landowners who will benefit most from the proposed changes. Other properties impacted by the Ontario government announcement have been held for years or decades.ĭevelopers owning Greenbelt land now set to be developed appear to have given significant sums to Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party, donation records show.
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