Hello, I am writing to voice…

Hello, I am writing to voice my strong concerns with the proposed amendments to the Greenbelt plan. The United Nations COP 27 Climate Change Convention just occurred and once again it was clearly communicated that our planet is not doing enough to reduce carbon emissions to stave-off the worst and most costly effects of climate change. The proposed amendments to the Greenbelt plan would be an embarrassment to Ontarians as we try to do our part for our children and the planet as the end result would be less natural habitat. Our carbon footprint would only get bigger as the proposed additions to the Greenbelt are already non-developed lands. If we are serious about mitigating the effects of climate change we should be keeping protected lands and further protecting those lands that don't have the Greenbelt designation. We need to be protecting all carbon sinks.

With regard to the need for housing, Ontario has been guilty the last few decades of excessive urban sprawl in the GTA and elsewhere. We have done our fair share of removing carbon sinks and paving over good farmland and natural spaces over the years. What we need is a focus on higher density housing to build 'up' the areas we have developed. Further expansion 'out' removes good farmland, natural habitat and promotes single vehicle use, all of which contribute to more carbon in the atmosphere. Densification of existing urban areas promotes transit use and maintains existing natural areas, which are important recreational areas for humans and habitats for species that have already been stressed from years of sprawl.

Finally, the investigation by thenarwhal.ca https://thenarwhal.ca/ford-ontario-greenbelt-cuts-developers/ and The Toronto Star has revealed that there are nefarious relationships between government and developers that sully any of the arguments that may have existed for developing protected lands. On this basis alone, cancelling the proposed amendments will save the government from the legal challenges that will rightly be brought forth and the associated costs.

Thank-you for considering my comments in opposition to removing any Greenbelt land from protected status.