As a strong supporter of…

As a strong supporter of Ontario's ecologically vital Greenbelt, I am disappointed with and do not agree with proposed amendments that would remove 7,400 acres from the Greenbelt to allow more housing. While I am not opposed to development, I join with leading conservation and environmental groups and municipal councils that are urging the government to shelve these extremely short-sighted proposals.
The government's defence that additional lands will result in a net increase of 2,000 acres of protected land is highly questionable in that some of these lands are already protected. It will also be argued that the 7,400 acres is a small fraction of the overall 2 million acres of the Greenbelt. I disagree, as I believe the proposed reduction of 15 parcels of land, in a plan that's intended to provide permanent protection, amounts to a slippery slope. If the Greenbelt boundary isn't permanent, ostensibly protected lands will inevitably be reduced piece by piece at the request of developers, land speculators and builders.
The proposed removals fly in the face of repeated assurances by the government that it would leave the Greenbelt intact. If the deletions go ahead, they will have a detrimental effect on major wildlife corridors, farmland, sensitive woodlands and wetlands at a time when Ontario is facing accelerating problems of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Rather than proposing removals, the government should be expanding the Greenbelt with a complementary Bluebelt. It has been estimated that Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland every day. This is a disturbing problem, which underlines the value of the Greenbelt in limiting the loss and fragmentation of prime agricultural lands, its value in helping to prioritize locally sourced food and in promoting a region-wide agricultural system.
The fact that the government's own blue-ribbon panel on housing concluded the province does not need to open the Greenbelt to meet housing demand is yet another compelling reason why the proposed reductions should be abandoned. It's time for the government to listen to the growing outcry about these ill-considered removals and ensure that the lands now at risk of development are permanently protected in the Greenbelt, a great Ontario treasure. Thank you.