To whom it may concern, I am…

I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan. The Greenbelt is a critical piece of natural infrastructure that provides clean water, clean air, mitigates flooding risk, contains urban sprawl, and generates billions in economic impact every year.

The value of the Greenbelt can only be fully realized if the protection is permanent. Removing protections from any part of the Greenbelt will signal to speculators and developers that environmental protections are merely environmental suggestions, and that the only hurdle to clear before they can destroy the environment is persistent lobbying and deep pockets.

In the age of climate change, it makes no sense to weaken protections for the environment in order to build housing. This is not an attack on housing; I fully support the government’s goal of building 1.5 million homes in ten years. However, housing does not have to come at the cost of the environment. More housing can be built within existing urban growth boundaries by ending exclusionary zoning and allowing for higher densities as-of-right. The Green’s Housing Plan is a good place to lift ideas from. Their plan would freeze urban growth boundaries, allow fourplexes as-of-right within existing urban boundaries, and pre-zoning for missing middle and midrise along transit corridors.

The housing crisis and the climate crisis are two inextricably connected problems. The good news is, the two of them can be addressed concurrently by building denser, walkable, complete communities. Opening the Greenbelt for new greenfield development is the opposite of a good solution. We are being presented with a false choice between environment and housing, a choice that I will not stand for.