I strongly believe that the…

I strongly believe that the existing Greenbelt is serving the entire of population of Ontario in the following ways:

* The Greenbelt is a critical element in the protection of the water resources in the GTA. When
scientists and former provincial governments were identifying sensitive water resources and
associated lands, they identified the most vulnerable parts of Ontario's ecosystem. It seems
counterintuitive to now redesignate these already protected lands for development. This will also
have a negative impact on the Paris Galt Moraine area as reported in the Toronto Star.

* The Greenbelt/Oak Ridges Moraine most importantly performs the function of preventing urban
sprawl in the GTA. It forces the development community to build up, not out. This in turn allows
the municipalities to develop transit systems that support high density residential areas.

* The Greenbelt is extremely important in facilitating the Province of Ontario's ability to provide fresh
produce, milk, eggs, meat and cheese for the existing population. During the pandemic, the farmers
in the Greenbelt were able to provide these items to Ontarians.

* The Greenbelt provides an opportunity for the GTA's youth to explore nature and the historical land
uses of Ontario. This is important to ensure that future generations have an appreciation for the
natural environment and industries that can work symbiotically with it such as farming.

My concerns are:

* The Ford government has failed to look at other opportunities to the address the upcoming house
shortage in Ontario. If every small town in Ontario constructed new homes, we would have more
than enough housing for the predicted population increase, we would distribute new
homes all across the province and we would be able to maintain the Greenbelt. Mr. Ford has
assumed that all the growth will be in the GTA but the current trend of working from home using the
Internet means that the future population of Ontario can be spread across the entire province. This
has the added advantage of not having to build new highways through sensitive land. It would also
allow the government to spread the wealth amongst developers, not just those in the GTA. Housing
would be cheaper as land would be cheaper.

* If the provincial government is allowed to swap parts of the Greenbelt with other unequally sensitive
areas, what will stop them from repeatedly taking away from the already identified/protected
Greenbelt we have?

* Mr. Ford's plan will result in high value agricultural land being converted into low density/low valued
land. We should be constructing the new housing on lands that are unsuitable for agriculture. I note
that much of Ontario's lands are unsuitable for agriculture.

* New roads, sanitary systems, storm management, water mains and telecommunications would all
be added to the Greenbelt.

I'm very disappointed that the Government of Ontario is putting the interests of a few developers over the interest of the entire population of Ontario. Once housing is built on these sensitive lands, they will be lost forever.