I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my strong opposition to proposed changes to the Provincial Policy Statement, 2022 (PPS) and the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Growth Plan). These changes would accelerate urban sprawl and the ongoing loss of farmland and natural areas in Ontario.

A shortage of land is not the cause of Ontario’s housing shortage, as noted by the Housing Affordability Task Force in 2022:

"Land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts. … Most of the solution must come from densification. Greenbelts and other environmentally sensitive areas must be protected, and farms provide food and food security. Relying too heavily on undeveloped land would whittle away too much of the already small share of land devoted to agriculture. (p. 10)"

In the words of the Barrie Mayor, Alex Nuttall:

https://www.simcoe.com/news/council/we-don-t-really-have-a-choice-barri…

“We don’t really have a choice here,” he said. “This isn’t like, ‘hey, City of Barrie, do you want to do this?’ We, as a city, have been asked to provide this. We need to remind folks we do not build housing. When we look at these targets, they are strictly in the form of permitting. We’re making a commitment to permit, not to build. We don’t do construction, we don’t do building. If developers don’t come and ask for permits, we can’t control that.”

The city has approved 13,900 yet-to-be-developed units, Nuttall said.

It is time to listen to the experts, who have shown that the amount of land already designated for development far exceeds what is needed to meet long-range housing targets.

There is simply no need for proposed policy changes which would:

- Eliminate mandatory intensification and greenfield density targets that were designed to rein in urban sprawl;

- Allow municipalities to expand settlement areas at any time without a comprehensive review of infrastructure needs or potential impacts on farmland and natural areas;

- Force municipalities to allow three lots to be severed from every farm, even in prime agricultural areas;

- Exempt lands that are the subject of Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) from complying with provincial policies and official plans;

- Remove the requirement for municipalities to undertake watershed planning; and

- Weaken and eliminate policies intended to address climate change.

Ontario is losing farmland at the shocking rate of 319 acres per day. The proposed new policies will make matters much worse and spell disaster for the lands and waters that sustain us.

Sprawl development will not solve current housing needs, as your government pretends. I urge you to retain all PPS and Growth Plan policies that are designed to curb sprawl and protect farmland and natural areas.