The Oak Ridges Moraine Land…

The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust was formed in 2000 by volunteers involved in the advocacy for the creation of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) under the Harris government with the support of MPP Steve Gilchrist. Steve Gilchrist is a valued past Board member of the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust from 2001-2011. Since 2000, the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust has worked with many levels of government to work within the land conservation framework and land-use planning in Ontario.
We incorporated a Natural Heritage mapping strategy to assist us in protecting lands across the ORM, Greenbelt and Simcoe County. The use of the Federal Ecological Gift Program has allowed us to protect both agricultural and environmental lands. We recommend that the Province increase support for land securement as a tool for growth management and natural/agricultural/cultural heritage protection, including enabling severances/land subdivision for conservation purposes and associated incentives.
The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust (ORMLT) supports the principles of the Growth Plan to curb expensive low-density development that drives up municipal taxes and debt, increases gridlock, degrades our water, paves over productive agricultural land and leaves us with a legacy of failing infrastructure, and transit starved cities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH). It is important that any changes to the Growth Plan support the ongoing shift in the regional growth model toward greater urban density and curbing of sprawl.

One of the key strengths of the Growth Plan is the requirement to use a Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) process to guide regional planning through an evidence-based framework that encourages efficient use of land. This provincial and regional guidance is key for smaller municipalities with few resources to enable them to move toward a consistent, public interest-based approach to growth management.

During the 2015 Growth Plan review it became clear that the MCR process had ensured that there is a sufficient supply of undeveloped greenfield land available to meet housing and employment needs as well as a supply of land within our urban areas to meet intensification targets. Proposed reductions to the designated greenfield targets (DGA) and allowing municipalities to ask for even lower targets is contrary to the goal of creating complete, compact communities. Gentle density and hard boundaries move us away from the wasteful low-density model of development.

In addition, holding the line on settlement area boundary expansions between MCR processes is key to creating complete communities, making expansions based on a complete package of evidence, maximizing infrastructure efficiency, limiting the loss of productive and precious farmland and maintaining our clean water resources.
Clean and abundant water is critical to both human and nature survival. Opening areas that have been protected for the safety of our drinking water to development threatens our environmental health, increases flooding, erosion and drought. Flooding and erosion events have caused significant increases in insurance claims resulting in hike in insurance fees.
Protected farmland supplies local food and enhances food security at a time when prices are rising and supplies from other countries are being threatened. Farming and our local food production are economically important and provide jobs to thousands. Urban sprawl into farmland destroys farm businesses and farming communities. The Land Trust protects both farmland and environmental lands across the ORM and Greenbelt and in the Lake Simcoe protection area.
Allowing the development of employment and residential lands in the countryside, requires the expansion of infrastructure, roads, water and sewer servicing and will lead to higher property taxes for the people of impacted communities and all of Ontario. Provincial and municipal data show there is enough land already available in our towns and cities for our housing needs up to 2041. There is also a surplus of land for new businesses and we should be encouraging investment in these areas with strategic marketing not urban sprawl. By building within existing towns and cities throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe, we can increase the supply of affordable housing and jobs in existing serviced communities while holding urban boundaries firm.
Sincerely,

Susan Walmer, CPA, CMA
Executive Director, Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust
18462 Bathurst St, Newmarket, Ontario
Charitable #873208920RR0001