I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the premier's proposal to alter the Greenbelt to allow the GTA to sprawl farther in the northwest. He not only is breaking a commitment never to touch Greenbelt lands, he is showing a complete lack of understanding of why they exist and of the kinds of developments urgently needed in the GTA to accommodate all those currently here and expected to arrive soon. Here are seven reasons for my objection to his plan: (1) The Greenbelt not only protects the GTA's water supply, it also protects vulnerable fauna and flora, which cannot get up and move out of the way of a highway and 50,000 new houses. (2) A new highway here will not ease traffic congestion; it more likely will worsen it. The Go train to and from Milton needs to run frequently in rush hours, not just its current three times a day. (3) The lands in question are primarily owned by developers who may have had inside information on this plan because they stand to be its primary beneficiaries. There should be a public inquiry into the premier's ties with all those developers who own parcels of the land affected by the plan. (4) The housing proposed is all single-family. All 50,000 families could be accommodated within the GTA in condominium housing instead, if developers were obliged to construct primarily family-sized units in all future buildings. (5) The premier needs to reverse his plan to gut the powers of local conservation authorities, who know better than his government what lands need protection now the climate of the planet is in crisis. (6) The premier needs to set aside his personal proclivity for suburban single-family housing and encourage all municipalities within the GTA to adopt densification policies. (7) The premier needs to use his considerable powers to get new and expanding businesses to locate to towns beyond the GTA and the Greenbelt, and to promote the densification of those towns. In conclusion, this plan is ill-conceived and must be rescinded. And the premier must be held to his promise to protect the Greenbelt.