Stephen J. Clark[1] MPP (born November 7, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has represented Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2010. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Clark was the minister of municipal affairs and housing from 2018 until 2023, when he resigned from provincial cabinet amid the Greenbelt scandal. Clark was mayor of Brockville from 1982 to 1991.
Personal life
Clark was born in Brockville, Ontario, on November 7, 1960.[2] He lives in Brockville with his wife Deanna.[3]
Municipal politics
Clark served three terms as mayor of Brockville from 1982 to 1991.[4] First elected at age 22, he was the youngest mayor in Canada at the time.[5] He was also president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. He later worked as an advertising salesman for the Brockville Recorder and Times, as an administrative assistant to Bob Runciman, and as the chief administrative officer for the township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands.[6]
Provincial politics
He was first elected as the MPP for Leeds–Grenville in a by-election on March 4, 2010, held to replace Bob Runciman who resigned to accept a position in the Canadian Senate.[4] He was easily re-elected in 2011 and in 2014 both with large pluralities.[7][8] In 2018, he was elected as the MPP for the riding of Leeds–Grenville–Thousands Islands and Rideau Lakes. In 2018, he was appointed as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing by Premier Doug Ford. He resigned this position on September 4, 2023.
In September 2018, as Municipal Affairs Minister, he introduced the Better Local Government Act (Bill 5) to align the City of Toronto's municipal ward boundaries with provincial and federal electoral districts. This legislation intended to reduce the size of Toronto city council to create a more efficient council. When this legislation was initially ruled unconstitutional, he supported the unprecedented step of invoking the notwithstanding clause. Ultimately, The Ontario court of appeal accepted Ontario's position that the Better Local Government Act, 2018 did not infringe the Charter s. 2(b) freedom of expression rights of either municipal voters or candidates.
In January 2019, Clark proposed changes to the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan.[9] The changes put an emphasis on transit-oriented development while allowing municipalities and developers to work together to build communities that address local needs and regional priorities, while maintaining protections for the Greenbelt, agricultural lands, the agri-food sector, and natural heritage systems.
Clark introduced the Municipal Modernization Program in March 2019 to improve local service delivery and efficiency in 405 small and rural municipalities in Ontario. He also developed the Audit and Accountability Fund to help the larger 39 municipalities and three school boards to conduct independent, financial reviews. To bolster municipal modernization efforts, Clark announced additional funding for municipalities in March 2020 to find ways to lower costs and improve services for residents and businesses as well as streamline development processes to increase the supply of housing.[10]
On May 2, 2019, Clark introduced Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan and the More Homes, More Choice Act (Bill 108), to make it easier and faster to build housing of all types, and to reduce the cost of renting or buying a home in Ontario. The Bill followed extensive consultations with a broad range of stakeholders in industry, the non-profit sector and members of the public. In addition to legislative changes, the Housing Supply Action Plan supported innovative ways to increase housing supply through a series of practical and informative guides on second suites, co-ownership, life leases and tiny homes.
In July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark announced alongside Premier Doug Ford the historic one-time emergency $4 billion Safe Restart Agreement with the federal government.[11] As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, municipalities experienced unprecedented cashflow and financial pressures from decreased revenues and increased service delivery costs. The Safe Restart Agreement funding will flow directly to municipalities to help them deal with COVID-19 related pressures, maintain critical services and protect vulnerable people as the province safely and gradually re-opened.[12]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark worked closely with municipal partners across Ontario and introduced the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act (Bill 197), which received Royal Assent on July 21, 2020.[13]
Clark resigned from cabinet during the 2023 Greenbelt scandal, after a report from the Ontario integrity commissioner recommended Clark be reprimanded for not properly overseeing the process to select lands for housing development.[14][15][16]
Electoral record
| 2022 Ontario general election: Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Steve Clark | 24,657 | 57.69 | −3.58 | $47,254 | |||
| Liberal | Josh Bennett | 7,746 | 18.12 | +4.76 | $12,806 | |||
| New Democratic | Chris Wilson | 5,799 | 13.57 | −6.22 | $4,797 | |||
| Green | Fiona Jager | 2,583 | 6.04 | +1.25 | $5,669 | |||
| New Blue | Daniel Kitsch | 944 | 2.21 | $2,785 | ||||
| Ontario Party | Glenn L. Malcolm | 536 | 1.25 | $0 | ||||
| Libertarian | Mark Snow | 202 | 0.47 | −0.32 | $84 | |||
| People's Front | Stephen Ireland | 189 | 0.44 | $651 | ||||
| Populist | Dave Senger | 88 | 0.21 | $2,415 | ||||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 42,744 | 99.47 | +0.91 | $122,329 | ||||
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 227 | 0.53 | -0.91 | |||||
| Turnout | 42,971 | 49.18 | -11.04 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 86,459 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | −4.17 | ||||||
Source(s)
| ||||||||
| 2018 Ontario general election: Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Steve Clark | 30,002 | 61.27 | +5.20 | ||||
| New Democratic | Michelle Taylor | 9,688 | 19.78 | +2.67 | ||||
| Liberal | David Henderson | 6,543 | 13.36 | -7.13 | ||||
| Green | Derek Morley | 2,347 | 4.79 | -0.10 | ||||
| Libertarian | Bill Buckley | 389 | 0.79 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 48,969 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Turnout | 61.9 | |||||||
| Eligible voters | 79,115 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | |||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[17] | ||||||||
| 2014 Ontario general election: Leeds—Grenville | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Steve Clark | 23,253 | 56.07 | −7.53 | ||||
| Liberal | Christine Milks | 8,499 | 20.49 | +3.06 | ||||
| New Democratic | David Lundy | 7,219 | 17.41 | +2.18 | ||||
| Green | Stephen Bowering | 2,030 | 4.89 | +1.44 | ||||
| Libertarian | Harold Gabriel | 471 | 1.14 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 41,472 | 100.0 | +8.43 | |||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | −5.30 | ||||||
Source(s)
Elections Ontario (2014). "Official result from the records, 042 Leeds-Grenville" (PDF). Retrieved 27 June 2015. | ||||||||
| 2011 Ontario general election: Leeds—Grenville | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Steve Clark | 24,314 | 63.60 | −3.08 | $ 52,598.00 | |||
| Liberal | Ray Heffernan | 6,663 | 17.43 | −2.65 | 17,512.99 | |||
| New Democratic | David Lundy | 5,822 | 15.23 | +10.12 | 13,274.26 | |||
| Green | Charlie Taylor | 1,319 | 3.45 | −4.22 | 3,731.20 | |||
| Socialist | Lance Fulsom | 111 | 0.29 | 0.00 | ||||
| Total valid votes / expense limit | 38,229 | 100.0 | +37.72 | $ 90,198.43 | ||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 155 | 0.40 | +0.09 | |||||
| Turnout | 38,384 | 50.64 | +14.03 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 75,797 | −0.34 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | −0.22 | ||||||
Source(s) | ||||||||
| Ontario provincial by-election, March 4, 2010: Leeds—Grenville Resignation of Bob Runciman | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Steve Clark | 18,510 | 66.68 | +10.44 | $ 27,511.00 | |||
| Liberal | Stephen Mazurek | 5,573 | 20.08 | −8.59 | 65,190.41 | |||
| Green | Neil Kudrinko | 2,130 | 7.67 | +0.49 | 14,799.66 | |||
| New Democratic | Steve Armstrong | 1,417 | 5.10 | −1.87 | 17,118.89 | |||
| Libertarian | Anthony Giles | 129 | 0.46 | 297.56 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 27,759 | 100.0 | −39.61 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 87 | 0.31 | −0.07 | |||||
| Turnout | 27,846 | 36.61 | −24.57 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 76,053 | +5.35 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Leeds—Grenville By-Election – March 4, 2010". Elections Ontario. Retrieved 8 June 2014. "2010 By-Election Returns – Ottawa West-Nepean – Candidate (CR-1) & Association (CR-3) Returns". "Ontario's Runciman among 5 new senators". Toronto Star. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2014. | ||||||||
Cabinet posts
References
- ^ @ONPARLeducation (13 July 2022). "Within the halls of the Legislature are walls that contain the names of every Member of Provincial Parliament elected to Ontario's Legislature since 1867. The names for the 42nd Parliament were recently added. For the first time a Member's name was inscribed in Oji-Cree syllabics" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Rafter, Jack (16 November 1991). "Kid councillor becomes kid Reeve". The Kingston Whig - Standard. p. 1.
- ^ Gardiner, Nick (2 March 2010). "Boy-wonder mayor back to his roots". Brockville Recorder and Times. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ a b "McGuinty Liberals win narrow victory in Ottawa by-election". The Globe and Mail. 4 March 2010.
- ^ "Former politician scores upset win in Hamilton vote". The Globe and Mail, November 9, 1982.
- ^ "Steven Clark named new CAO of TLTI". Gananoque Reporter. 14 July 2009.
- ^ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 6 October 2011. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ "General Election by District: Leeds—Grenville". Elections Ontario. 12 June 2014.
- ^ "Ontario Newsroom | Salle de presse de l'Ontario". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ "Ontario Newsroom".
- ^ "Ontario Newsroom | Salle de presse de l'Ontario". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ "Ontario Newsroom | Salle de presse de l'Ontario". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ "COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ Ferguson, Rob; Rushowy, Kris (4 September 2023). "Premier Doug Ford forced to shuffle cabinet after housing minister Steve Clark resigns". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Cecco, Leyland (5 September 2023). "Ontario government in turmoil after minister quits over land swap scandal". The Guardian. Toronto. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Balintec, Vanessa. "Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark resigns amid Greenbelt land swap controversy".
- ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 6. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
