As a resident of Durham…

As a resident of Durham Region, I am concerned with the extensive amount of land that is being proposed for development here. In particular is the area in Pickering that is right at the headwaters of Duffins Creek. What assurances are there that this river system will not be negatively impacted by the development? As someone that commutes to Markham for work, I am equally concerned with the extensive development in this area. Over the past several years, I have witnessed the agricultural lands in the area being whittled away by housing developments and none of this building has reduced housing costs. How do we know that this project is going to reduce housing costs? What about food security? What happens when all of our agricultural lands have been built upon? I realize that there is a need for more inventory and more affordable housing, but at what cost? Can we not work towards development of high density housing in areas that are already developed? I do not believe that the Greenbelt should be used for residential or industrial purposes. Its purpose is to maintain our environment, water systems, and provide us with agricultural lands. Findings show that the Greenbelt offers $2.7 billion worth of non-market ecological services to the province each year, an average value of $3,571 per hectare annually.