I am strongly opposed to the…

I am strongly opposed to the proposal to remove lands from the Greenbelt, for the following reasons:
- These lands are valuable for agriculture and other open-space uses, and so are irreplaceable.
- Much of the lands that are proposed to be added to the Greenbelt in order to replace these lands are already under some form of protection, or are not in immediate danger of development.
- Removing these lands from the Greenbelt will not enable more housing to be built: every independent expert has noted that there is already ample land outside the Greenbelt for housing.
- Opening up these acres to development will encourage urban sprawl, which is (as independent experts have also confirmed) is both wasteful and expensive. Instead, the government should focus on encouraging construction of a wider variety of housing options within already built-up areas.
- This action sets a bad precedent, and so makes it more likely that the Greenbelt will be further eroded in future years.