The Greenbelt was created to…

The Greenbelt was created to preserve environmentally sensitive land and exceptional farmland. The environment preserves habitat to wildlife, is a source of pristine fresh water used by Ontario’s population and is used for recreation used by the people of Ontario.

The boundary of the Greenbelt was created after extensive consultation between local municipalities, higher level government agencies, concerned groups and individuals. The boundaries were set to achieve the objective of as laid out above. The land adjacent to the Greenbelt that the Ford government proposes to replace those portions to be removed met the criteria originally proposed, that land would have been made a part of the Greenbelt at that time.

Agricultural land, once paved over, cannot be returned to its agriculture use. Foods produced in these agricultural tracts are essential for feeding the growing population of the province. In addition, that need will become more pronounced due to climate change. But also, to replace food currently generated in areas that are become globally less viable for food production, such as in the south-western parts of the United States, where land is drying up due to drastic reduction of water table.

So why is the Ford Government obsessed with removing parts of the Greenbelt? Mr. Ford promised during the 2018 election campaign that his government would never touch the boundaries of the Greenbelt. His Government passed Bill 23, “More Homes Build Faster Act, 2022” ostensibly to build housing at a faster rate than currently being done. He has stated that he is taking land from the Greenbelt to provide for more housing. Only land that has adjacent infrastructure in place is being considered. Yet municipalities, such as Hamilton, state that they have land within their current boundaries to last years of building. In addition, development companies are plagued with a lack of skilled trade people and rising materials costs. It is not possible to build housing faster unless the standards are lowered on how his housing is built. This invites disaster down the road.

Investigative reporting by, among others, The Globe and Mail, the CBC and The Toronto Star has found that at least nine properties were bought in the Greenbelt after the PC’s won the election of 2018. Two examples: One developer, a PC party donor, purchased one of these properties in September, just prior to the government announcing its new plan for the Greenbelt. Another section was purchased by another prominent PC Party donor.

There is only one conceivable explanation of why the Ford Government wants to strip the Greenbelt. To accommodate land speculators who contribute donations to the PC Party of Ontario. Mr. Ford and the PC Party of Ontario appear to have no consideration for the well-being of the people of Ontario, current or future generations.