Overall I support the…

Overall I support the proposed expansion of the Greenbelt, in particular with the westward expansion to include the Galt/Paris and Waterloo moraines, with which I am most familiar. On the other hand, I share the concerns expressed by Puslinch council that Greenbelt designation will impact a farmers ability to construct a se4cond dwelling to accommodate help associated with farm business and that the dispensing with classification of agricultural land as level 1 - 5 on the basis of agricultural suitability may distort farm real estate values.

I also share the concerns of some municipalities, which have put in place restrictions on land use which exceed those of the Greenbelt that these restrictions may be overwritten by Greenbelt designation. One way around this would be to set Greenbelt restrictions as a minimum level but to permit municipalities to enact more stringent restrictions if required by their planning authorities.

Most critically, however, I note that both existing, expanded or new infrastructure is permitted and that municipalities within the Greenbelt are not able to establish policies which are more restrictive on mineral aggregate extraction than those in the Greenbelt Plan. I fear that despite the requirement of Environmental Assessment, that this gives the MTO and aggregate industry an open path to expansion of the Highways 401, 6 and 7 corridors right on top of the Paris/Galt moraines in Puslinch township.

[Original Comment ID: 213544]