Please remove Schedule 10…

Please remove Schedule 10 from Bill 66, which allows municipalities to override provisions in the Greenbelt Act, Clean Water Act, Lake Simcoe Act, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act and Great Lakes Protection Act.

I do not want the Greenbelt - which is home to 5,500 farms, numerous species at risk, and 102 million tonnes of carbon storage - carved up with factories and subdivisions.

The greenbelt is what makes Ontario beautiful and attracts many tourists into the area. The greenbelt is a perfect stretch of greenery and nature which is needed for the general public (especially those in the area), as a retreat from being surrounded by concrete and congestion, and contributes to a healthy state of mind and well-being.

Green spaces are constantly being taken away and developed, leaving the population surrounded by concrete and congested traffic with an increase in accidents and air-pollution. But that's not all - unfettered sprawl causes deforestation, land conversion from agriculture to asphalt (large parking lots are a prominent feature of sprawling suburban communities), air and water pollution, and inefficient transportation infrastructure reliant upon single passenger vehicles and long commutes. Natural eco-systems, habitats, and wildlife roaming areas are systematically destroyed leaving many animals homeless and trapped, leading to species extinction and desegregation of our environment.

I ask to what end are developers going to continue to take away green spaces and fill them up with unsustainable sprawling subdivisions and factories to fill their pockets? Until there is nothing left, and we are completely separated from the nature and the natural world? These unsustainable and archaic developmental practices are counter-productive to the health and well-being of Ontario residents.

The the Greenbelt Act, Clean Water Act, Lake Simcoe Act, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act and Great Lakes Protection Act, were all created for a reason, and they are at least the bare minimum we can do to safe-guard the natural spaces that we hold so dear, and that are so important to the health and well-being of Ontario residents and future generations to come.

Please have the courage in your heart to not give in to the pockets and greed of developers that have no interest in protecting our cherished green spaces, and will not think twice before bulldozing natural habitats and thousands of trees for profit.