It is important that no land…

It is important that no land currently located within the Greenbelt be opened up for development for the following important reasons:

1. This land is NOT required for development as there is plenty of land already allocated in existing municipalities for new housing.

2. The lands contained within the Greenbelt were selected based on proven scientific principles and should not be messed with.

3. The lands being proposed for development in the Greenbelt are own by developers; one 500 + acre section in King Township was bought by a developer (The Rice Group) in September 2022, just prior to the announcement by the Ontario government that the Greenbelt was being opened up for housing. Highly suspicious in the minds of many as to the timing of this purchase. We know developers are Premier Ford's buddies - they have contributed large sums of money to his election campaigns in the past.

4. This new proposal will open up the Greenbelt in 15 different areas. This will create holes in the existing ecosystems which need to remain intact and interconnected in order to function well. Our natural heritage must be safeguarded for future generations.

5. The 15 sites selected are not within existing settlement areas and so will contribute to urban sprawl, reliance on the car to get around, pollution, the need to build new and expense infrastructure, and a decline in the quality of the lives of those who will eventually be living there as they will require long commuting times.

6. The Greenbelt contains important habitat for wildlife. Just this week there was coverage on the number of species that have gone or are nearing extinction due to habitat loss. The Greenbelt is a treasure and It must be left intact.

7. We are in a climate emergency. Natural areas must be protected as they play an important role in mitigation flooding and sequestering carbon as just 2 examples. The Greenbelt contains the headwaters that provide our drinking water.

8. I repeat, development within the protected Greenbelt is NOT required as there is plenty of land already allocated in existing municipalities for new housing - housing that will likely be more affordable than any housing built on the Greenbelt.