The Greenbelt is a very…

The Greenbelt is a very important swath of land within Southern Ontario. First of all, it is treaty land, and the indigenous peoples need to be consulted before anything else! The farmland is high quality and has a vital role in providing nutritious food for Ontarians, and this is especially important at a time of higher inflation, food insecurity and the rising housing, transportation and living costs. The Greenbelt gives us beauty and recreation and its vegetation provides vital oxygen and cleans the oft-polluted air of Southern Ontario. It is a carbon sink, and the farmland, wetlands and conservation lands all act to mitigate flood risk to our more populated urban centres. With climate change worsening with each year and decade, this is an important function of the Greenbelt. We need to protect and improve the biodiversity of this region rather than paving over it, and building homes. The Greenbelt is home to so many wildlife species and we need to speak for them.

Yes, affordable housing is needed, but built in responsible and sustainable ways and in appropriate locales. The housing crisis is very concerning, as I personally have been affected. I was evicted from my apartment this summer as a result of my landlord selling the house which my apartment was in. There were few affordable housing options for me, yet I do not believe that the Greenbelt should be sold off to developers to build homes faster. That is not what it is there for. I urge a halt to this land grab that, if allowed, would only line the pockets of the premier's developer friends.

There are better, more sustainable solutions.