I truly believe that we can…

I truly believe that we can solve the housing crisis without affecting a protected area, the Greenbelt. I see the surrounding land of my suburban neighbourhood in Richmond Hill being demolished to build new housing. In the past 10 years, I've seen what used to be grasslands and forest be converted to barren plots of land for houses that still haven't been built yet; for such a pressing crisis, it seems that there is more sense of urgency to destroy habitats rather than actually build the homes, the actual purpose of these activities. The forest in front of my house was destroyed for more housing more than 5 years ago, and I still see the repercussions to this day. There are still rabbits zooming around my neighbours' backyards because they lost their home. More coyotes have appeared in my childhood park because they don't have a home either. The most heartbreaking thing I've seen is the destruction of the forest on the land of the David Dunlap observatory. Over one acre of forest was torn down to build housing, which STILL hasn't been completed yet after almost 10 years of construction. So many animals were displaced through these actions, and whenever I drive by it, what once used to be a thriving habitat is just an ugly construction site. Rapidly urbanizing areas, especially without having a safety plan for the animals and ecosystems you are disrupting, is not sustainable or ethical. Having the idea to even touch the Greenbelt, which is supposed to remain protected from urbanization, is absurd. The amount of land surrounding me that has been urbanized is nothing compared to the size of the Greenbelt, so imagine the damage and impact it will have on the animals and lives that live there if this proposal is approved. If you want to improve the housing crisis, focus on the houses and condos you are already building. Get those done. I'm tired of looking at barren, empty plots of land that have just been sitting there for years. If you choose to build on the Greenbelt, it just shows that Doug Ford does not care about Ontario in the slightest.