Development on the Greenbelt…

Development on the Greenbelt puts Ontarians at risk for irreversible economical and environmental damage.

Sprawl development proposals are threatening to eat up productive farmland and destroy forests and wetlands. We have seen firsthand from the pandemic and our lack of local preparedness that we must ensure that we produce within our province everything we need to survive. We cannot continue to depend and rely on imports from other countries at the cost of unnecessary development on our land that does not improve our economy. The construction of a highway or airport may provide temporary jobs for construction workers, but the long term sustainable jobs needed to improve our economy through agriculture would be lost. Meaning more jobs today would trade jobs in the future.

Ecologically, the Greenbelt’s forested areas clean our air, removing the greenhouse gas pollution of 27 million cars per year. The Greenbelt is the home for 78 species at risk of extinction. The Greenbelt provides ecosystem services, such as clean water, air filtration and flood control, essential to managing climate change.

I do not support removing from or swapping in any land to the Greenbelt.