The vast majority of the…

The vast majority of the proposed areas for removal from the Greenbelt and Natural Heritage System will benefit developers rather than future homeowners. Not only are most of the proposed areas within floodplains, along river systems and in areas where there is no infrastructure to accommodate increased vehicle traffic and servicing, but some are also beside areas where new homeowners will be exposed to high levels of noise and increased air pollution (Map 3 Highway 404, Map 8 Highway 418). In addition, the proposed areas that are within floodplains and along rivers will be at risk of seasonal flooding which will result in property damage and increases in property taxes (for servicing and seasonal flood clean ups), while simultaneously contributing to worse flooding downstream in already existing urban areas. At worst, flooding impacts could result in loss of life within and around these proposed areas and downstream in other municipalities. This is not far-fetched as human lives have been lost before in Ontario due to flooding as a result of building in floodplains. When considering the ecological functions and purpose of the Natural Heritage System and Greenbelt, the impacts from these proposed removals and developments are significant. There would be a loss of ecological functions (including flood mitigation, replenishment of aquifers and groundwater, filtering of river water and air pollution), loss of plant and wildlife biodiversity, increase in pollution (water, air, soil, and general garbage entering natural areas), increase in the spread of invasive plant species, and increased fragmentation of the natural landscape. There are already enough existing scars cutting through the Natural Heritage System and Greenbelt, with even more threats on the horizon with the proposed Brampton Bypass and Highway 413. Regarding the loss of farmlands, this will negatively impact local economies and food security, especially as more farmland is lost outside of the Greenbelt within other regions and municipalities.

Do the above impacts to both people and the natural environment mean nothing to the province? Given that the proposed changes would accommodate around 50,000 new homes, that equates to only 3.33% of the Provincial Governments 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. Where is the 1.5 million homes figure even coming from? Despite the Federal Government’s aim to encourage 500,000 new immigrants into Canada a year, that does not guarantee that:
500,000 immigrants will actually come to and live in Canada annually;
Forecasted numbers entering and staying in Ontario will be accurate, nor consistent year to year;
That new immigrants will live in Ontario long term.

What is clear based on this proposal to Amend the Greenbelt, recently passed Bill 23, and previous legislation aimed at reducing environmental protections is that the Ford Government is catering to key supporters of the Progressive Conservative campaign - developers. This is especially evident given that Primer Doug Ford was recorded talking to developers at a convention in 2018/2019 that the Greenbelt would be opened for development, followed by denying that the Greenbelt would be touched, only to go ahead within his second term in office to open up the Greenbelt (with generous funding support from various developers, some of which will be profiting from the proposed amendments to the Greenbelt). As this will likely pass with little to no changes made (as this government time and time again clearly shows it does not care what experts and concerned citizens say, nor what promises were made by Doug Ford himself!), this will open the floodgates to more pressure from developers to open even more protected green space and areas of the Greenbelt in the future. Although there may not be much that can be done by Ontarians to modify the proposed amendments to the Greenbelt now, you best be sure the citizens of Ontario will not forget this broken promise come next election (and this is only one or many controversies the Ford Government is in).

Documents reviewed:
ERO 019-6216 Proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan
ERO 019-6218 Proposed redesignation of land under the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan O. Reg. 140/02

Note on Urban River Valleys:
Urban River Valley’s added to the Greenbelt are within heavily urbanized cities; their ecological functions have been significantly minimized and/or completely lost. The thin sliver of river valley left does not provide a wide enough natural corridor for the free movement of plants and wildlife, thus these “additions” are mute.