Ford says he won't use notwithstanding clause for Bill 124 after court ruled it unconstitutional

Ford also denied developers given heads-up about Greenbelt changes

CBC.ca
Dec. 2, 2022

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday he will not use the notwithstanding clause after a court struck down a law that limits wages for public sector workers.

But Ford said his government still plans to appeal the ruling that was handed down earlier this week.

He added that he found the decision "very interesting" and wants to "go through the process."

A judge struck down Bill 124 on Tuesday, saying it was unconstitutional as it infringes on rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Ford government plans to appeal after Ontario court strikes down Bill 124
Groups representing several hundred thousand public sector employees had challenged the constitutionality of the law passed in 2019, which capped wage increases at one per cent per year for public sector employees.

The province argued the law did not infringe constitutional rights, saying the charter only protects the process of bargaining, not the outcome, and said the bill was a time-limited approach to help eliminate the deficit.

Developers not given heads-up about Greenbelt changes: Ford
Meanwhile, Ford also said he and his government did not tip off developers ahead of announcing changes to the Greenbelt.

The denial comes a day after Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark offered a similar response.

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner asked the integrity commissioner earlier this week to investigate whether Clark or Ford broke ethics rules around making a public policy decision to further someone's private interests.

Clark announced earlier this month that he is proposing to remove land from 15 different areas of the Greenbelt, while adding acres elsewhere so that 50,000 homes can be built -- despite previous promises from Ford and Clark that they wouldn't touch the Greenbelt.

Media reports have suggested that some prominent developers who are Progressive Conservative donors stand to benefit from the move.

Some bought that land in the past few years despite Ford and Clark's public pronouncements it wouldn't be developed, with one purchase happening as recently as September, according to investigations by CBC Toronto, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and the Narwhal.