1. When making land use and…

1. When making land use and planning changes, it is essential to engage with Indigenous communities to fulfill constitutional and treaty obligations. The duty to consult is a constitutional obligation that arises from s.35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, which recognizes and affirms Indigenous and Treaty rights. Indigenous traditional practices, responsibilities and knowledge systems must be honoured by ensuring Indigenous voices are key to any discussions involving expanding the Greenbelt.

2. I strongly object to the removal of the designated lands from the Greenbelt. The lands being removed include "farms in Niagara Peninsula and the Duffins Rouge Agriculture Preserve – both considered to have some of the best soil in the country" (from the linked Toronto Star article).

3. I do support adding lands from the Paris Galt Moraine to the Greenbelt, but Ontario should be adding the lands recommended during the previous consultation on ERO 019-3136:

The Paris Galt Moraine is an ideal area to expand Greenbelt protections. Protecting this water system, including headwaters and all hydrological features, means securing a water source for at least 800,000 people. However, to protect precious farmland and natural areas from development, the Province must be more ambitious in its approach.

I urge the province to expand the area of study West and include all adjacent areas and important parts of larger ecological systems (i.e. agricultural systems, wildlife corridors, headwaters, etc.). A scientific approach demands all natural systems adjacent or vitally connected to the Greenbelt need to be protected, including but not limited to:
• the entire Paris-Galt moraine as depicted in the Blackport report (2009)
• headwaters, streams, creeks and wetlands of the Grand River, including land contiguous with Greenbelt in Brant
• Orangeville Moraine
• Waterloo Moraine
• Escarpment Area Moraines such as the Gibraltar and Singhampton Moraines
• The Horseshoe Moraines that flank the Niagara Escarpment to the north near Clearview
• Former glacial lake Algonquin and Iroquois shorelines and plain
• Lake Simcoe Basin
• Headwaters of south flowing stream systems within the inner ring of the GGH (the ‘Whitebelt’) where there are high development pressures (i.e. Humber, Don, and Rouge Rivers and Duffins and Carruthers Creeks)