I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed amendments to the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan. The proposed amendments are not to the benefit of the average Ontario citizen or resident of this particular region.

If this government was in tune and consulted with their constituents openly on their intentions, they would realize the last thing any resident of the Greater Golden Horseshoe area is looking for is more urban sprawl. Increased congestion, more gridlock, more farmland and naturalized areas turned into cookie-cutter housing developments are not what the residents of the looking for - not taxpayers. Nor do they wish to see farmland and naturalized areas turned into gravel and sand pits.

It is extremely unfortunate that the only ideas the government of the day can come up with are regressive policies that seek to dismantle any protection of diminishing farmland, wetlands, forests and essentially any land that isn't already paved over. Hiding behind COVID19 is exactly that - hiding. You need to do better than that for all Ontarians, not just your developer pals.

If this government had any foresight at all, you would be concentrating your attention on the massive change and potential collapse in commercial real estate that is about to unfold. Have you walked through the Financial district of Toronto lately? All those towers are essentially empty. And all those retail and restaurants in the concourse are also empty. Do you really think all the office tenants are going to start sending their employees back to those towers anytime soon?

I suggest this government take a good, hard look at how they can come up with a plan to convert all that office space into residential space, and soon. Ontario can't survive economically without a solid, vibrant downtown Toronto. So instead of worrying about appeasing developers with regressive "growth plans" that just make it easier for them to plow pristine land, sit down and figure out what a real, long-term development and growth plan should look like. One that benefits all Ontario residents, including those that will be negatively impacted by this proposal.

Our farmland is not for sale, our water is not for sale, our forests and wetlands are not for sale - so stop selling us out!