This bill is inappropriate,…

This bill is inappropriate, will do irrevocable harm, does not meaningfully address the housing crisis, and should not be passed.

The Greenbelt was established as an important and groundbreaking protection of environmentally sensitive lands, precious and dwindling arable land for farming, biodiversity, and our watersheds. Protection of this land helps to prevent flooding, and preserves some of our rare natural environments for future generations.

It is it appears that the key motivation for these permanent and harmful degradations of our environmental protections is to benefit developers, and the relatively few people who can afford to purchase expensive houses in these suburban developments, ill-served by infrastructure and services. Short term gains for the few, while the real problem remains unaddressed.

Ontario doesn’t need more urban sprawl. This plan will do very little to address the current housing crisis. To address that, we need to put into effect meaningful rent controls (including between tenants), and to build a lot of genuinely and deeply affordable rental housing and rent-geared-to-income housing, as densifying infill in cities and towns where there are already infrastructure and services.

Please do not allow this harm to be done to our protected lands. It is irreversible. You cannot take one parcel of land and treat another parcel as equivalent. The Greenbelt plan was developed as a holistic plan, taking into account considerable environmental assessment. It was meant to protect the land, our water, the environment, and our air for us, our children, and future generations. Please do the right thing and do not pass this bill.