I strongly urge the…

I strongly urge the Government of Ontario to expand the Greenbelt to include Simcoe County.

In particular it must include protection for the Oro Moraine in Oro-Medonte Township, which directly supplies drinking water to over 20,000 people and is also the source of numerous watercourses feeding both Lake Simcoe and Severn Sound.

And we need strong protection for the Alliston Aquifer which runs from Tiny Township in North Simcoe to the Oak Ridges Moraine.
The water near the recharge area known as French's Hill has been consistently tested by Dr. William Shotyk from the University of Alberta; and leading hydrogeologist John Cherry, Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph. They found it to be the purest ground water ever tested in the whole world, cleaner than ancient arctic ice before there was any pollution on the earth! It is now being used world-wide as the Gold Standard for water quality.

The county has vast wetland complexes of local, provincial and international significance such as the Minesing Wetlands, Wye Marsh and Tiny Marsh, which are significant carbon sinks. Natural Coverage in Sub-watershed is high compared to every other region in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. This network of forests and ground cover provides a front line against climate change.

A large portion of the Lake Simcoe watershed that is currently outside of the Greenbelt is considered medium-to-high vulnerability for groundwater supply and contains many highly vulnerable aquifers. The Nottawasaga Valley watershed contains many highly vulnerable aquifers especially around the Minesing Wetlands and areas to the north and west of it.
It should also be noted that degradation of the Nottawasaga Valley watershed has continued even with watershed and subwatershed plans in place for almost 20 years. It seems what is missing are rigid policies that better connect land use planning with water resource and natural heritage protection. Expanding the Greenbelt into Simcoe County would be the best first step in putting these protections in place.
Historical extent of cool and cold water streams within the Nottawasaga River watershed has been restricted due to loss of forest cover and wetlands and construction of ponds on streams. These coldwater fishery habitats support one of the largest spawning populations of wild migratory rainbow trout and Chinook salmon in the Great Lakes Basin.

It must not be forgotten that a main vision of the Greenbelt was to protect against the loss and fragmentation of the agricultural land base and support agriculture as the predominant land use. Most of Simcoe County is rich in productive farmland and forests.

It is time for the Ontario Provincial Government to do something bold that will help shape the future of a region critical to the health of the Greater Golden Horseshoe: Expand the Greenbelt to include the entire County of Simcoe and supporting eco-systems.