There is no need to remove…

There is no need to remove the proposed lands from the Greenbelt and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan protections. There are 86,500 acres of land already for development outside these protected areas, enough for the next 30 years of development. In addition, more homes can be built in urban areas by infill and intensification and in more rural areas by establishing 2 additional residences as requested in the Provincial Policy Statement. Taking this protected land is a 'want' not a 'need'. The owner/developers want to profit from developing protected land.
Urban sprawl had to stop somewhere in the early 2000's or there would be continuous development from Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe and from the Niagara Escarpment to the eastern end of the Oak Ridges Moraine. This sprawl had to stop so it did, to protect some of the best agricultural soil and farmland in Canada, some of the last remaining forests, cold water streams, and fish spawning grounds, aquifers, wetlands and the habitat of diverse species, that have been here and whom inhabitants have depended on for thousands of years. There is no need to take any of this land from those uses and protection. The proposed lands will expand urban sprawl for no reason. Once the government starts to eat away at this protected land the developers' voracious appetites will seek more and more. Our trust in our government to serve and protect us will be destroyed .
Municipalities know their lands, watercourses, wildlife and their habitats, the needs of their residents and businesses, their recreational facilities and their Official Plans based on those needs. Their experts have spent many years and millions of tax dollars developing and revising their Official Plans as their needs change. They are starting to see how they are affected by climate change, the challenges of affordable housing, while trying to budget for necessary services, and maintain and replace their infrastructure. Municipalities can better effectively direct their growth and support their tax base with additional housing. Their deliberations and decisions should not be usurped by a provincial government intent on fulfilling the wants of developers. Leave these lands alone and use the land already available for development .