I am commenting in…

I am commenting in opposition to the proposal to remove lands from the Greenbelt for several reasons.

1. The lands selected for the Greenbelt were selected by experts due to their ecological or agricultural importance. Simply adding lands elsewhere is not a substitute and will not replicate the value of these lands.

2. City planning experts have told us that there is sufficient land within existing urban boundaries in many municipalities (e.g. Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo). Developers are not building on lands they own and which are cleared for approvals. Why do we need this additional land when land that has already been set aside has not been developed yet?

3. We need AFFORDABLE new housing, not sprawl. People who can afford to buy a detached home that necessitates two cars to get anywhere can ALREADY buy a detached home. The people who are looking for homes (renters, single people, young families) are priced out now. They need affordable housing, which means housing in areas already served by public transportation, townhomes, semis, etc.

I speak from personal experience. I am in my 40s and just bought my first house. I can barely afford it and we are a household with two professional incomes and two kids. We bought a $750,000 house that requires us to have two cars and commute 45 min each to work. This is not ideal, but we could never have afforded the million dollar homes that are closer to Toronto. Any new builds would cost more than this, and if we can barely make ends meet with our salaries, I am telling you those most in need of housing will not benefit from your plan to add housing to Greenbelt lands. Millennials who are middle or low income may never buy a house. Who exactly is supposed to see the benefit of these homes (aside from the developers)? I think this is really a case of politicians being completely out of touch with what average people need and want.

4. Doug Ford promised to leave the Greenbelt untouched. The people of Ontario will not soon forget this broken promise.