The proposed changes to the…

The proposed changes to the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan are not in our interest. They:
- promote sprawl driven planning;
- make urban boundary expansions easier and less planned;
- weaken the greenfield density targets and strength the urban intensification targets;
- facilitate higher density at major transit areas;
- ignore the urgent need for affordable housing. Tools to create more new affordable housing are not included;
- ignore climate change. All of the references to Climate Change in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan have been removed.
These proposed changes are regressive. They move the growth planning for the Greater Golden Horseshoe area backwards, towards urban sprawl driven planning. The natural environment and the lives of the residents will suffer. The proposed changes will produce many deleterious outcomes for us, including:
- more expensive to service urban sprawl neighbours;
- more commuter traffic;
- poorer air quality;
- reduced farmlands, source water lands and other natural lands;
- increased threats to wildlife habitats:
- diminished fresh food and water supplies;
- more expensive suburban housing and less affordable housing;
- poor transit distribution with under used routes and very overcrowded routes.
The government should be protecting Ontarians by protecting our natural environment and addressing climate change at every opportunity. Please do not make these threatening changes!