Ford government copied developer's exact request into Hamilton official plan to allow controversial building
CBC
Premier Doug Ford's government copied, word for word, a developer's requested changes to Hamilton's official plan to allow an eight-storey condo at the current site of a designated heritage building — blindsiding city planning staff, elected officials and residents.
The application for the condo building had been rejected by city staff and council in the spring of 2022.
The request was emailed to then-Housing Minister Steve Clark by planner Matt Johnston on behalf of developers Sergio Manchia and Frank Spallacci on Oct. 4, 2022, one month before the province announced these amendments and dozens of others to Hamilton's official plan.
The Ancaster land on Wilson and Lorne Streets is owned by Manchia and Spallacci's corporation Wilson St. Ancaster Inc.
CBC Hamilton has obtained three of Johnston's requests and one from Manchia submitted to the Ministry of Housing while it was accepting public feedback about changing Hamilton's official plan, a key planning document that sets the rules for future development.
While most of the comments appear publicly on the province's website, Johnston and Manchia's requests do not.
Along with the Wilson Street development submission, Johnston requested Manchia's Barton Street East property be removed from the Greenbelt. Manchia also asked for rural land he and Spallacci owned near Hamilton's airport to be added to the urban boundary so it could be developed.
While the majority of comments from the public opposed the province making changes to Hamilton's official plan, Johnston and Manchia's submissions were all accepted, revealing the influence they appear to have had on provincial staff at the time.
Manchia and Spallacci did not respond to requests for comment.
Johnston told CBC Hamilton he is not a lobbyist but instead provides governments recommendations and was participating in the public engagement process.
"We acknowledge that the provincial changes to the official plan were consistent with our recommendations," he said in an email.
Local resident Jim MacLeod, a member of the Ancaster Village Heritage Community, described the province's process that allowed Manchia's Wilson Street development to go ahead as "really disturbing."
"It looks really bad when you've got [official plan changes] up for approval from the province and someone is influencing it in the background," said MacLeod. "It's not just this development. It's the next one and the next one."
This was not the first time Johnston had spoken to the province about land owned by Manchia, nor the only client Johnston represented. Johnston and Manchia are both principals at Manchia's planning company UrbanSolutions.
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