Hello, I am a resident of…

Hello, I am a resident of Durham Region in a community that will be directly affected by this egregious decision to dismantle our protected environmental areas. I drive frequently through north Pickering to my parents' home in Markham, and the destruction along the south side of Taunton Road to accommodate townhouses has done nothing but increase commute times. Housing in Durham Region is beyond unaffordable. I am 37 years old and do not own a home; I have no inclination to believe paving the Greenbelt will change this. Given the displayed greed of developers in this community to date, it is highly unlikely the homes built upon the Greenbelt lands will be remotely affordable, I'm sure they will cost upwards of 800k like the rest of those squished together little boxes with no lawns in North Pickering. This will benefit no one except the developers who sell these little houses for exorbitant prices, and definitely not the current residents in Pickering or Ajax.

There is plenty of space to build housing in Ontario outside the greenbelt - Northern Ontario would love investment in their many communities, large and small. Creating jobs and affordable housing in cities like Sudbury, North Bay, and Sault Ste Marie would alleviate pressure off the Golden Horseshoe and provide young people and other new buyers the opportunity to live in a spacious detached home with ample outdoor space.

As it is, there are not enough roads to accommodate the people who live in Durham Region, the 401 is a nightmare. Rush hour is no longer an hour in the morning or evening - it can sometimes last all day. Building more car-dependent suburban townhomes in North Pickering and Ajax that are unaffordable to most people will not do anything to alleviate the housing crisis. What happened to Premier Ford's slogan, "For the People?" Seems the only ones he's for these days are himself and his developer cronies.