Re: Opposition to ERO #019…

Re: Opposition to ERO #019-6216 and #019-6217

As Ontario resident, business owner, taxpayer and parent of young children, I would like to voice my strong opposition to Bill 23 and the proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan.

The Greenbelt as it is currently configured, is a treasured area of protected land that provides significant economic and environmental benefits to Ontarians and the communities that it borders.

Like so many Ontarians, I am astounded by the shortsighted proposals to take 7,400 acres of land from the Greenbelt for private development. The government’s claim that these Greenbelt lands are needed for housing is plainly misleading and false.

The Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force was clear in its 2022 report, that we do not need to sacrifice the Greenbelt to address the housing crisis. That’s because “a shortage of land isn’t the cause of the problem.” (p.10). Rather, there is a huge supply of land already open for development within existing municipal settlement boundaries.

I believe that the proposed removal of Greenbelt lands sets an alarming precedent, that puts Ontario’s economy and quality of life at risk. As the population of Southern Ontario grows the importance of its natural areas, farm land, water and air quality becomes that much more important. These are the systems that build resilience and will allow us to maintain our way of life and make the province an attractive place to live and invest over the long term.

For the sake of our current and future generations, and your own reputation as government of and for the people, I urge you to abandon your plans to remove 7,400 acres of protected lands from the Greenbelt.