Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is scrapping his plan to open the protected Greenbelt lands for housing development and won’t make any changes to the Greenbelt in the future.

At a caucus retreat in Niagara Falls this week, Ford says his cabinet told him what people in their communities are saying about the Greenbelt and he is listening.

Last year, the Ontario government removed 7,400 acres of land in over a dozen sections of the Greenbelt in order to build 50,000 homes amid a province-wide housing crisis. However, his plan was met with significant opposition.

Reports from the integrity commissioner and auditor general discovered that the process to choose lands was rushed and favoured certain developers.

In a press conference Thursday, Ford apologized for breaking his initial promise not to touch the Greenbelt.

“It was a mistake to open the Greenbelt. It was a mistake to establish a process that moved too fast,” he says.

In order to regain people’s trust, Ford says he will be reversing the alterations he made to the Greenbelt and putting the lands back under Greenbelt protections.

READ MORE: Cabinet member in Doug Ford’s government resigns after Greenbelt probe

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath issued a statement saying she is “thrilled” that all removed lands will be returned to the Greenbelt.

“This is a win for Hamilton and a win for Ontario,” her statement reads.

“Our city has been clear in its opposition to this plan: how it was done and what it would mean for our agricultural and environmentally sensitive lands.”

Amazing news about our Greenbelt! See my statement here: pic.twitter.com/aQngvGCv21

— Andrea Horwath (@AndreaHorwath) September 21, 2023

– With files from The Canadian Press