Dear Minister Clark, Thank…

Dear Minister Clark,

Thank you for the welcome opportunity to provide input on expanding the Greenbelt.

Our key points in regards to Growing the Greenbelt:
• The work done in 2017, including the Bluebelt proposal, should form the basis of any new plans to expand the Greenbelt.
• ALL lands in the conceptual designated greenfield area of the GGH should be added to greenbelt. In addition to protecting our watersheds and wetlands, our prime agricultural land must be protected from conversion.

Efforts to define a Greenbelt boundary should be based upon:
• A thorough, evidence-based understanding of the water resource system including groundwater systems, key hydrological areas, recharge and discharge areas, and well-head protection areas;
• Ensuring all key hydrologic features are captured in the defined boundary;
• Sustaining local ecosystems;
• Optimizing resilience to climate change impacts such as flooding and drought;
• The engagement of appropriate Indigenous Peoples in a process that respects and honours Canada’s constitutional and treaty obligations and moves forward in a spirit of reconciliation;
• In-person public consultation throughout the watershed to discuss proposed boundaries once the pandemic has abated; and,
• Clear and easy-to-implement options for properties outside a proposed boundary to be added to the Greenbelt.

In addition to the inclusion of Urban River Valleys:
• Include private lands in the addition, expansion and further protection of Urban River Valleys
• Do not offset the conversion of protected agricultural lands with the addition and expansion of Urban River Valleys

Prioritizing Greenbelt expansion with other Provincial Priorities:
• By supporting a 60% intensification and 80 people and jobs per hectare density rate for designated growth areas (the rate needed to support regular bus service) and an expansion of the Greenbelt, more affordable urban growth could be achieved, and costly urban boundary expansions could likely be avoided beyond 2051.
• Prioritize growing the Greenbelt to reduce land speculation, limit extending expensive urban services into the countryside, avoid increased municipal debt loads, and reduce challenges to affordable housing.

Other Priorities:
• Regional resilience - An updated Natural Asset Inventory for the Greenbelt that quantifies its ecoservices would be of great value to managers and policy makers. Estimates from the "Ontario’s Wealth, Canada’s Future: Appreciating the Value of the Greenbelt’s Eco-Services" report prepared by the David Suzuki Foundation suggests that the Greenbelt’s wetlands and forests hold the greatest value, worth over $2.3 billion.
• It is important to acknowledge that less than 5% of Ontario’s land base can support any agricultural production. From 2011 to 2016, the Census of Agriculture indicated that Ontario lost 319,700 acres of Ontario farmland. That’s 175 acres of farmland per day. If our province plans to continue to grow and prosper, we must also have a plan to protect our ability to produce food, fibre and fuel for the people of Ontario and beyond. The pattern of growth enabled by current provincial policies is unsustainable and needs to be resolved.
• The more prime agricultural land we convert to residential, the less we have to grow food! Add the potential destabilizing impacts of climate change and it won’t be long before Ontario is unable to sustain its farmlands. Food production, as a stream of economic growth, will be curtailed rather rapidly and permanently, if land conversions continue to occur unchecked.
• Do not allow development on wetlands under any circumstances, because they cannot be adequately replaced by any means. Man-made wetlands in alternate locations do not replace the natural heritage systems that our biosphere depends upon. We have seen time and again how human interference has unintentionally done irreparable harm and cannot be relied on replace or supplement natural systems.
• Cancel the planned GTA West (Highway 413) and Bradford Bypass. These highways are expensive, not necessary and will permanently damage existing lands within the Greenbelt while also generating significant pressure by developers and municipalities to allow development along them. There are many other options available to manage the transportation needs of Ontarians that do not require sacrificing vital farmland, natural spaces and water resources.