I believe the following…

I believe the following modifications are required to draft Bill 136 (Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023) for the permanent protection of the Greenbelt:

1) Legislate that in the 10-year Greenbelt review, any amendments to boundaries can only add lands to the Greenbelt with no possibility for land swaps.

2) Amend the Greenbelt legislation so that future governments are compelled to consult meaningfully with First Nations and Indigenous communities.

3) Introduce a provision prohibiting new “Overall Benefit Permits” that enables developers to harm habitat critical to the protection of Species at Risk in the Greenbelt.

4) Prohibit the licensing of new aggregate extraction applications in the Greenbelt.

5) Protect all prime agricultural lands in the Greenbelt through conservation easements to ensure speculators are dissuaded from purchasing protected agricultural lands in the Greenbelt.

6) Immediately end the grandfathering of previous zoning for future planning applications that is detrimental to the Greenbelt’s ecological, water and agricultural functions.