I do not support the opening…

I do not support the opening of existing Greenbelt land to development. The Greenbelt exists as it does for a purpose, to offset the environmental impacts of our existing urban areas.

Our current government states that there is a "crisis" in the shortage of affordable housing. The "crisis" has nothing to do with needing land.

The crisis is one, many years in the making, of provincial and municipal governments following development dollars instead of creating regional development plans with all people including the marginalized in mind.

The crisis is that the current government is going to rapidly push through a bill that will likely due immeasurable damage to our green spaces and promote reckless development without foresight that will cause ripple effects that every current and future home owner will feel such as: higher taxes when local governments are unable to collect fees from developers that would go to key infrastructure, overcrowded schools when rapid-fire housing developments can't keep pace with infrastructure (as in Pickering right now due to the Seaton development), flooding when the green belt areas that would normally absorb storm water don't exist any more, rising food costs (not to mention less nutritious) when local farms are fewer and food is shipped from farther away, less green spaces for our kids to enjoy and learn about nature and reduced quality to the very air we breath due to loss of forest and wetlands.

Affordable housing experts all state that it is not about land but building smarter with the spaces we've already allocated. Building in the Greenbelt will just create more homes that only the wealthy can afford, not create a equitable opportunity for those who need to get into the housing market. Expanding the zoning and requirements for developers to create affordable, high density home ownership is a sustainable way to build.

And without proper environmental assessment and no consideration for vulnerable species, the damage will be far greater than the gain. Hands off the Greenbelt!