I am firmly against the idea…

I am firmly against the idea of opening up the Greenbelt for development, even with the offset of adding additional lands. Has there been a Conservation study done to see what the impacts would be of developing part of the Greenbelt? I believe it is better to densify within the existing cities/towns as opposed to continuing an urban sprawl. In addition, by putting more funding into transit infrastructure, it can become possible for people to live outside the GTA and work within the GTA, which would remove some of the pressure of population growth and immigration on the GTA. For example, Kitchener-Waterloo has been pushing for two-way high speed trains between Kitchener and Toronto. This would allow families to live within Kitchener while working in Toronto. I would suggest that the Greenbelt remain as is and that we add in the additional lands around Paris. I would prefer to see cities densify as opposed to urban sprawl. We know that these lands were originally protected under the Greenbelt for a reason and I don't see any information regarding Conservation studies or how opening up parts of the Greenbelt for development will effect the environment, farming, and our access to clean water. In addition, it is important for people that live within the GTA to have access to green outdoor space, which is provided by the Greenbelt. Food is already expensive and if we push farming further and further from our cities, it will only increase the cost of food.