The Green Belt legislation…

The Green Belt legislation in Ontario (2005) is an inter-generational investment that transcends political terms of office and short term vested interests. It has its roots in the Progessive Conservative governments of the 1960s where the Design for Development programme introduced the Niagara Escarpment Planning Area and associated legislation, and the idea that the public has a legitimate interest in managing urbanization, suburban sprawl, costly low density residential development, scattered one-off commercial and other development, strip development, and related matters. The idea of a Parkway Belt and the so-called Zone 2 of a Toronto-Centred Region plan were adopted. Eventually, after nearly half a century Ontario brought in a Green Belt. The purpose of this is public benefit. Benefit through open space, secure farming foodlands, recreation spaces, relief from the pressures of a multi million population urban corridor (Bowmanville to Hamilton), deflection of growth opportunities to neighbouring urban complexes (e.g. KW-Cambridge-Guelph, Peterborough, Barrie-Orillia, Aurora-Newmarket), de-congesting the massive urban corridor, reducing highly inefficient and costly public infrastructure in low density development practices, enhancing the feasibility of high speed inter-urban transportation, protect precious headwaters, allow for alternative small town and rural settlement lifestyles, and many other benefits.

Any erosion of the Greenbelt is a public dis-benefit, a sad backward step in the progress of Ontario society. In this time of urgent action for climate change the last thing we should be doing is encouraging yet more urban sprawl, more car-based commuting, more concrete landscapes, more inefficient water and sewage infrastructure, and so on.To allow individual municipalities to incrementally erode this precious initiative is bordering on the criminally irresponsible.

Allowing private enterprise to put profit over public benefit is unconscionable. To assume that families in need of housing or other forms of accommodation can only get this by invading and consuming precious lands set aside for society's benefit is an insult, to them, and all of us. There is plenty of land set side for urban development in the Places to Grow Act (2005). There is plenty of land available in the designated cities and towns (e.g. Cambridge, Barrie). It has been demonstrated that millions of new Canadians and current citizens can be accommodated in the lands available - for the next 30 years, and more.

There is NO case whatsoever that says that reverting to the urban sprawl of the previous century is the only way to go. This proposed incremental destruction of the Greenbelt has no rational basis in evidence. As a specialist in area economic development for over 40 years I can confirm that it will do nothing for Ontario's competitiveness - nothing.

This is proposal is completely unacceptable.