Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Ontario government’s proposal to expand the existing Greenbelt to better protect our province’s water resources with a Bluebelt. As a supporter of the Food & Water First campaign, I endorse this plan. I was actively engaged in the Stop the Mega Quarry campaign which began seven years ago and also involved the protection of vital soil and water resources. A multi-billion-dollar Boston hedge fund had purchased 6,500 acres of Class 1 agricultural land in Dufferin County and had applied to the province for permission to excavate it for the limestone aggregate contained in the aquifer beneath the fields. It would have been the largest quarry in Canadian history. It would have impacted drinking water for up to one million people and destroyed thousands of acres of the rarest food-producing soil in Canada. Fortunately, a citizens' campaign to stop the Mega Quarry was successful, and the soil and water were saved. Food and water are the necessities of life. We are fortunate in southern Ontario to have rare, rain-fed agricultural soils and an abundance of fresh water. These critical resources must not be squandered, but protected in perpetuity.

It is estimated that the population of the Greater Golden Horseshoe region will grow almost 50% to 13.5 million people by 2041.  Water will be critical for a healthy population and economy. We will need it to drink and to grow the food that will sustain us. Ontario’s $34-billion agri-food sector – the largest in Canada – will continue to rely on fresh water resources to produce fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products.  Our water must be protected from aggregate and mining operations that negatively impact aquifers and water tables. It must be protected from commercial bottling operations that pump millions of litres of Ontario’s groundwater for profit. In addition, climate change is taking its toll on food-producing regions in other parts of the world. Droughts and flooding are causing havoc for farmers who grow the food we import. If we properly protect our agricultural soils and fresh water, Ontario has the potential to become one of the world's top food providers.

It is imperative that the government takes the necessary steps to ensure we have enough food and water for future food security and economic viability. Now is the time to strengthen and expand the Greenbelt with the Bluebelt so more of our agricultural lands and water resources are preserved for generations to come. This would be a proud legacy for any Ontario government.

[Original Comment ID: 213403]