FORD'S AGENDA ON SPRAWL EXPOSED AGAIN

A new report on Greenbelt development in the Hamilton area shows the city does not need to build on protected lands in order to meet provincial housing targets.

Nor is the Ford government's reaction a surprise. In reporting by The Hamilton Spec's Matthew Van Dongen, a spokesperson dismissed the new report's findings as based on a "particular anti-housing and anti-growth ideology, rather than fact." Ford and friends continue to insist that only the Greenbelt would allow for fast-track construction of 50,000 homes.

But there is another significant source that really exposes the Ford agenda. In early 2022, the government's own Housing Affordability Task Force delivered a report that read: "A shortage of land isn't the cause of the problem ... land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts."

Queen's Park hand picks a task force of experts to advise on housing, and it recommends against developing protected lands. Then the government goes ahead anyway.

There certainly seems to be ideology at work here, but it's not so much on the part of the people, organizations and agencies advising against building more urban sprawl on protected land.

It's more on the part of the government and its development partners, who seem determined to go ahead and build on the Greenbelt, regardless of whether doing so is supported by facts, or is in the best interests of Ontarians and the future. All of which leads to this central question: Whose interests are really being served here? Grocery CEOs make their case

Grocery chain chief executive officers recently appeared before the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture and agri-food.

The question was whether Loblaw Companies Ltd., Metro Inc. and Empire Co. (parent to Sobeys and Farm Boy) have benefited unduly from inflation-fuelled grocery prices.

Consumers have been crushed by double-digit price increases, affecting everything from fresh vegetables (up 14 per cent year over year) to dairy (12.4 per cent) to bakery goods (15.5 per cent). The cost of chicken rose nine per cent in a single month.

There are myriad reasons for the price escalation. From the war in Ukraine to increases in food production costs to cold weather induced shortages in Spain and so on. We need only turn to the U.K. to gain a bit of perspective. The data company Kantar recently reported that grocery price inflation in the four weeks to mid-February surpassed 17 per cent, leaving British shoppers facing an increase of about $1,300 on their annual bill. . No one's saying it's not complicated.

Here's another angle: listening to Loblaw CEO Galen Weston, relationships with suppliers can be gnarly. In a recent conference call with analysts, Weston said the company continues to face thousands of requests for price increases, some of which, he said, were "unjustified."

The top challenge for the grocers? That was nicely framed last December by NDP committee member Alistair MacGregor, who asked what would the companies do to restore what he defined as a broken trust with consumers. That was three months ago. By now, CEOs should have clear answers.