I am very concerned with the…

Please reconsider the Proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan.

I am very concerned with the proposal to remove portions of Ontario's Greenbelt, especially Map 6 of the Proposed Modifications. As crucial as housing availability and affordability is, I do not believe that removing these portions of the Greenbelt will address the housing issue without creating irreversible ecological damage to our Province.

My wife and I are both working Ontarians who cannot afford to buy a house together. Housing affordability has impacted our lives and changed our plans for the future and the possibility for us to raise a family in the near future. That is to say, I do not take the housing issue lightly, and while I appreciate the goal of creating more housing for the province, I believe this proposal to be the wrong approach.

There are other methods of supporting housing growth in Ontario that do not diminish our natural lands. Greenspace is a crucial resource for people already living in the areas around the Greenbelt and the Province as a whole. Ontario's natural ecosystems not only support the Province's industries but also define an important part of its heritage and character. To chip away at the Greenbelt is to chip away at part of what makes Ontario the unique and amazing Province it is.

I would urge the government to consider alternative methods of housing growth and affordability within the Province. Whether that's supporting landlords with more staff at the LTB to adjudicate evictions and other disputes, taxing unused properties, supporting public transportation infrastructure so as to free up parking lot space for redevelopment, encouraging mixed-density buildings in suburban areas, or any number of other possibilities, there are methods of tackling Ontario's housing issues without the Province facing the loss of significant portions of its Greenbelt.

Once the protected land is lost to development, it is lost forever. It can never be restored to how it was before. The loss of these proposed portions of the Greenbelt is a loss that will be felt in perpetuity. The decision to protect these lands for the sake of Ontario and Canada's ecological security and cultural heritage was the right decision. The decision to remove portions of these lands in an effort to tackle a real and complex issue, such as Ontario's housing problem, is the wrong one.

However well-meaning this proposal is, the cost it entails is too high to bear, as it is a loss all current and future Ontarians will carry with them.

I ask that the government reconsider its position on the Proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Plam.