It is a profoundly reckless…

It is a profoundly reckless move to abandon the current government's mandate and begin dismantling protections on Ontario's Greenbelt to line the pockets of developers (which has already been going on for the development of Hwy 413/GTA West).

The Greenbelt is absolutely critical to the future of Ontario, a key food source as well as important heritage and environmental areas that are necessary to maintain to protect Ontario's diverse flora and fauna.

To cut into green space to support urban sprawl is so incredibly backwards in a crucial time to be combatting climate change. The Ford government has already been making so little effort to prepare us for the future, making it easier for drivers in gas-fueled cars to get around with no measures taken to address climate change. Encouraging urban sprawl into the Greenbelt is only going to add to that list. Here's an idea, how about not removing lands for development and adding the proposed acreage anyway.

The focus for the government should be on encouraging growth and density in our existing cities. Developers should not be getting away will building subdivisions with giant single family homes and zero trip generators. The focus should be on mixed development (sure, some single family detached homes, but majority low rise to high rise MURBS), with neighbourhoods that residents can use transit and active transportation to access. To first turn to expanding into the Greenbelt without re-examining the existing spaces we live in is lazy, greedy and so short-sighted.

This was not the mandate this government was elected on. The amendments should not be carried forward.