To All Whom It May Concern,…

To All Whom It May Concern,

In writing that opening salutation, I realize that the current proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan should concern all of us, but specifically, I direct my comments to three people, my Premier, Doug Ford, and my Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark, and lastly, my Minister of the Environment, David Piccini.

I cannot express enough my complete dismay at the proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan and to Bill 23, the More Houses, Built Faster Act 2022. I am astonished that my elected government officials would so clearly disregard the importance of green space and wetlands, especially at this critical point in the world's climate crisis when educated and informed voices around the world are raised in alarm and crying out for concrete actions to ensure our very survival.

Yes, we need houses. We also need natural habitats, including wetlands, forests, and open grasslands, as these are the filters which clean our air, hold flood waters, and buffer the impacts of climate change and weather extremes.

I object strenuously to the proposed changes to the Greenbelt Plan and ask that other options be given serious consideration. Connect the dots, think of the grand scheme, and not the next election. I think you will better serve your constituents if you continue the protection of natural areas such as those covered by the Greenbelt Plan while finding other ways and means to build the necessary housing that is so in demand.

I do look forward to hearing from Ministers Clark and Piccini about how they are collaborating to achieve these objectives.

Sincerely,

Lesley Cree