View source for Steve Clark (Canadian politician)

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = 
| name                = Steve Clark
| honorific_suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MPP|size=100%}}
| image               = Steve-Clark-politician.jpg
| alt                 = 
| caption             = Clark in 2020
|office = [[Cabinet of Ontario|Ontario Government House Leader]]
|premier = [[Doug Ford]]
|predecessor = [[Paul Calandra]]
|successor =
|term_start = June 6, 2024
|term_end =
| office1              = [[Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Ontario)|Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing]]
| premier1             = [[Doug Ford]]
| term_start1          = June 29, 2018
| term_end1            = September 4, 2023
| predecessor1         = [[Bill Mauro]]<br />[[Peter Milczyn]]
| successor1          = [[Paul Calandra]]
| parliament2         = Ontario Provincial
| term_start2         = March 4, 2010
| term_end2           = 
| predecessor2        = [[Bob Runciman]]
| successor2          = 
| riding2             = [[Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes (provincial electoral district)|Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes]]<br/><small>[[Leeds—Grenville]] (2010-2018)</small>
| office3             = Mayor of [[Brockville, Ontario|Brockville]]
| term_start3         = 1982
| term_end3           = 1991
| predecessor3        = 
| successor3          = 
| birth_name          = Stephen J. Clark
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1960|11|07}}
| birth_place         = [[Brockville, Ontario]], Canada
| party               = [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]]
| residence           = Brockville, Ontario, Canada
| alma_mater          = 
| occupation          = Politician
}}

'''Stephen J. Clark'''<ref>{{cite tweet |user=ONPARLeducation|number=1547261235305058304|date=13 July 2022 |title=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 }}</ref> {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MPP}} (born November 7, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has represented [[Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes (provincial electoral district)|Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes]] in the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]] since 2010. A member of the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative (PC) Party]], Clark was the [[Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Ontario)|minister of municipal affairs and housing]] from 2018 until 2023, when he resigned from [[Executive Council of Ontario|provincial cabinet]] amid the [[Ontario minister's zoning orders controversy|Greenbelt scandal]]. Clark was mayor of [[Brockville]] from 1982 to 1991.

==Personal life==
Clark was born in [[Brockville, Ontario]], on November 7, 1960.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kid councillor becomes kid Reeve |last=Rafter |first=Jack |newspaper=The Kingston Whig - Standard |date=November 16, 1991 |page=1}}</ref> He lives in Brockville with his wife Deanna.<ref>{{cite news |title=Boy-wonder mayor back to his roots |first=Nick |last=Gardiner |newspaper=Brockville Recorder and Times |date=March 2, 2010 |url=http://www.recorder.ca/2010/03/02/boy-wonder-mayor-back-to-his-roots |access-date=20 September 2017 |archive-date=7 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207041430/http://www.recorder.ca/2010/03/02/boy-wonder-mayor-back-to-his-roots |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Municipal politics==
Clark served three terms as mayor of [[Brockville]] from 1982 to 1991.<ref name=globe>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/mcguinty-liberals-win-narrow-victory-in-ottawa-by-election/article1490446/ |title=McGuinty Liberals win narrow victory in Ottawa by-election |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=March 4, 2010}}</ref> First elected at age 22, he was the youngest mayor in Canada at the time.<ref>"Former politician scores upset win in Hamilton vote". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', November 9, 1982.</ref> He was also president of the [[Association of Municipalities of Ontario]]. He later worked as an advertising salesman for the ''[[The Recorder and Times|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]].<ref name=gananoque>{{cite news |url=http://www.gananoquereporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1655548 |title=Steven Clark named new CAO of TLTI |newspaper=Gananoque Reporter |date=July 14, 2009}}</ref>

==Provincial politics==
He was first elected as the MPP for [[Leeds—Grenville (provincial electoral district)|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.<ref name=globe/> He was easily re-elected in 2011 and in 2014 both with large pluralities.<ref name="2011 results">{{cite web |url=http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |title=Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=October 6, 2011 |access-date=2014-03-02 |page=8 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330163815/http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |archive-date=March 30, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="2014 results">{{cite web |title=General Election by District: Leeds—Grenville |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 12, 2014 |url=http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=042}}</ref> 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 [[Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Ontario)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ontario Newsroom {{!}} Salle de presse de l'Ontario|url=https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/50923/ontario-to-help-increase-housing-supply-attract-investment-and-protect-jobs-in-the-greater-golden-ho|access-date=2020-11-20|website=news.ontario.ca|language=en}}</ref> 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 (Golden Horseshoe)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/56038/helping-small-and-rural-municipalities-improve-services-for-residents-and-businesses|title = Ontario Newsroom}}</ref>

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&nbsp;billion Safe Restart Agreement with the federal government.<ref name="news.ontario.ca">{{Cite web|title=Ontario Newsroom {{!}} Salle de presse de l'Ontario|url=https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/57758/historic-agreement-delivers-up-to-4-billion-to-support-municipalities-and-transit|access-date=2020-11-20|website=news.ontario.ca|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name="news.ontario.ca"/>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020|url=https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-197|access-date=2020-11-20|website=Legislative Assembly of Ontario|language=en}}</ref>

Clark resigned from cabinet during the 2023 [[Greenbelt (Golden Horseshoe)|Greenbelt]] scandal, after a report from the [[Office of the Integrity Commissioner (Ontario)|Ontario integrity commissioner]]  recommended Clark be reprimanded for not properly overseeing the process to select lands for housing development.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ferguson |first1=Rob |last2=Rushowy |first2=Kris |date=4 September 2023 |title=Premier Doug Ford forced to shuffle cabinet after housing minister Steve Clark resigns |url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/premier-doug-ford-forced-to-shuffle-cabinet-after-housing-minister-steve-clark-resigns/article_983f0b87-1a81-57b3-b6f2-851b5209f1a5.html |work=[[The Toronto Star]] |access-date=11 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cecco |first=Leyland |date=5 September 2023 |title=Ontario government in turmoil after minister quits over land swap scandal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/05/ontario-steve-clark-resigns-greenbelt-land-swap |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=[[Toronto]] |access-date=11 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Balintec |first=Vanessa |title=Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark resigns amid Greenbelt land swap controversy |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/steve-clark-resigns-greenbelt-1.6956402}}</ref>

==Electoral record==
{{2022 Ontario general election/Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes}}
{{2018 Ontario general election/Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes}}
{{2014 Ontario general election/Leeds—Grenville}}
{{2011 Ontario general election/Leeds—Grenville}}
{{Ontario provincial by-election, March 4, 2010/Leeds—Grenville}}

===Cabinet posts===

{{s-start}}
{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Doug_Ford}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post1preceded = [[Bill Mauro]]<br/><small> (Municipal Affairs)</small><br/>[[Peter Milczyn]] <small>(Housing)</small>
| post1         = [[Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Ontario)|Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing]]
| post1years    = June 29, 2018–September 4, 2023
| post1note     =
| post1followed = [[Paul Calandra]]
}}
{{s-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.steveclarkmpp.com/}}
* {{Ontario MPP biography|id=steve-clark}}

{{Ontario MPPs}}
{{Ford Ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Steve}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs]]
[[Category:Mayors of Brockville]]
[[Category:Canadian city managers and chief administrative officers]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]
[[Category:20th-century mayors of places in Ontario]]