NO to Bill 66 If Bill 66 is…

NO to Bill 66

If Bill 66 is confirmed, the Ontario provincial government will be putting the province’s greenbelt and City of Markham and Region of York at risk.

Has the PC government forgotten why the greenbelt was established?

Greenbelts were established in early 2005 by the provincial government. Agricultural protection is the primary element of the Greenbelt Legislation and the major focus is the protection of prime agricultural land, which is fast disappearing. Where does this government think our food will come from in the future ? From our good neighbours to the South, with their aquifer depletion issues ?

Greenbelts are a major step in protecting environmentally sensitive land, the habitat of many indigenous species Greenbelts curtail the sprawl of urban development threatening ecologically and hydrologically sensitive areas.

Current legislation prevents municipalities from re-zoning areas identified as prime agricultural land.

The greenbelt encompasses more than one million acres in Ontario and we are privileged to have one of the largest and most successful greenbelts in the world. Two greenbelt areas are especially important to southern Ontario and York Region – the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve is one of 15 UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada (1990). The area is protected because of it’s many unique species and prime recreational land. In addition to being prime farm land, tourism associated with the escarpment, contributes $100 million to the local and regional economy.

The Oak Ridges Moraine is one of the most significant landforms in southern Ontario and covers about 1,900 kilometers of land, much of it is Markham and the Region of York. This area is home to much of the fertile farmland that feed our communities. It is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixwood Plains, a hydrological system of streams, wetlands, kettle lakes and ponds and their catchment areas, seepage areas, springs and other recharge areas. The moraine gets its name from the rolling hills and valleys that extend more than 160 km from the Niagara Escarpment east to Rice Lake. The moraine is currently one of the most contested sites in Ontario because it stands in the way of major urban development.

The passage of Bill 66 will make greenbelt areas available for the run away sprawl that plaques the GTA area. The land in question is ecologically sensitive and allowing development jeopardizes not only the environment but also agriculture – our ability to produce the food that we need.

It is critical to remember that once the greenbelt is gone, it is gone forever.

I am strongly opposed to proposed Bill 66. It is the most unimaginative plan for making Ontario "Open for Business" Reducing environmental protections and freeing up land for more urban sprawl will have disastrous effects for future generations. Just for a little short term gain, really ?

I challenge the PC government to do the hard work of developing innovative solutions to the challenges that face Ontario. Remember, societies grow great when this generation plant trees knowing that we will never sit in their shade.