As a resident of the…

As a resident of the province of Ontario, I am deeply concerned about this amendment. It strikes me as an oversimplified approach to the housing crisis, which is far more a crisis of housing affordability than of sheer number of available homes, nor does this seem likely to address the housing crisis in the places this crisis is most impacting.

I have always loved the beauty of this province, and the Greenbelt is an important part of that for me. This plan recklessly risks Ontario's environmental health (including some valuable ecosystems) as well as prime agricultural land, and does not seem likely to solve the problem it presorts to solve. There are ways that are less expensive (both financially and environmentally) for the Province to address the housing crisis; solutions which will be more effective, including improved support for people (especially lower-income people and first-time buyers) wishing to rent and purchase property, as well as policy that more effectively cracks down on predatory renting practices.

In short, this amendment is likely to cause significant damage, without actually doing much to improve the problem it claims it will solve, and I fervently hope the Government of Ontario, with its duty to the current and future residents of this province in mind, will reconsider enacting such an amendment.