The Ontario government is expected to introduce legislation today, Monday, that will restore land to the greenbelt and regulate its boundaries.

Little is known about what the bill will include, but Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra previously told reporters that it will have "an additional layer of protection that currently does not exist," ensuring future changes are made through legislation and not regulation.

The Doug Ford government used regulations to alter the greenbelt boundaries less than a year ago, removing 15 sites totaling about 7,400 acres of protected land without a vote in the legislature.

Another 9,400 acres of land were also added to the greenbelt, but the majority of the land was already protected through other means.

Since the land was removed, both the provincial auditor and the integrity commissioner found that some developers were favored in the selection process.

According to the auditor, about 92 percent of the land removed from the greenbelt benefited three developers who had connections to the Ministry of Housing and met with the office director at an industry dinner.

The auditor found that the owners of the 15 land sites chosen through this process could witness an increase of over $8.3 billion in their property values.

The office director primarily responsible for selecting the sites resigned following the report’s publication.

Former Housing Minister Steve Clark also resigned from his ministerial position after the integrity commissioner found he violated ethics rules by "failing to oversee the process through which the land was selected for development in the greenbelt."

Both reports reveal a decision-making process that largely lacked transparency and consultation, failing to consider environmental and financial factors. This led to a reversal of the decision, with the first person apologizing for the removal of the land in the first place.

The legislation also comes following a recently announced criminal investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The police confirmed last week that they are investigating “allegations related to the Ontario government's decision to open parts of the greenbelt for development.”

Little information has been released so far about the specific allegations being reviewed; however, the police stated that the sensitive and international investigations unit is leading the investigation.

This unit typically investigates allegations of fraud, corruption, and breach of trust by elected officials.

The file was referred to the Canadian police by the Ontario Provincial Police in August to avoid “any potential conflict of interest.” The provincial police's anti-extortion branch has been reviewing the complaints since mid-December.