Question 1: What are your…

Question 1: What are your thoughts on the initial focus area of the Study Area of the Paris Galt Moraine?
It is certainly a major water intake area.

Question 2: What are the considerations in moving from a Study Area to a more defined boundary of the Paris Galt Moraine? Hydrological data. Securing habitat for native species. Connecting natural areas

Question 3: What are your thoughts on the initial focus area of adding, expanding and further protecting Urban River Valleys?
The Grand River effects 39 municipalities and close to one million residents of the Grand River watershed.

Question 4: Do you have suggestions for other potential areas to grow the Greenbelt?
Specifically, The areas north of Paris and south of Cambridge also contain many morraines and intake areas.
I would like the province to consider an additional approach to its designation of areas for legislation.
The green belt approach has been to designate large areas for protection. I would suggest an additional approach. In addition to the large area approaches currently undertaken, I believe that all Major river valleys and feeder creeks and their associated land should be considered part of the green belt legislation.
I also believe the province should mandate a minimum of a 3m buffer on all waterways. (Compensate landowners approprately.)

Question 5: How should we balance or prioritize any potential Greenbelt expansion with the other provincial priorities mentioned above?

We need to Balance "human" growth with the needs of the natural environment.
What we have done in southwestern Ontario is not sustainable to the natural environment. We need proritize natural habitats across South western Ontario. Meadows, woodlots, marshes.
Habitat loss and climate change are reported to be having a devastating impact on animals.

Last week (w/o March 8th), the Nature Conservancy of Canada issued a report that identified South western Ontario as one of Canada’s crisis ecoregions, where wildlife and habitat are the most diverse but also under the greatest threat.

Last year, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and American Bird Conservancy estimated that Billions of birds have vanished from North American skies over the past five decades, and scientists say it is a sign of a major ecological crisis. The bird population in the United States and Canada has plummeted by nearly 3 billion birds, or 29 percent, since 1970.
The WWF’s The Living Planet Report Canada 2020 says that our most at-risk animals are “undergoing staggering losses.” In fact, the species most at risk of global extinction have seen an average population decline of 42% since 1970.

We are out of balance.

Question 6: Are there other priorities that should be considered?

Steven Covey was a noted business and personal development guru. One of his key principals was to begin with the end in mind.

So I have to ask politicians, Federal, Proviincial and Municipal govenments - How big to we want to be specifically when it comes to urbanization and population.