The premier and the minister…

The premier and the minister of municipal affairs and housing promised not to touch the Greenbelt. The government cannot remove and add lands to the Greenbelt to suit their political purposes. It is upsetting and ghastly that a few developers have bought up significant portions of our Greenbelt in the past few years-lands that are now being removed from the Greenbelt. The Housing Affordability Task Force has found that there is enough land available within the current urban boundaries that is fully serviced and ready to go, 88,000 acres, for the 1.5 million homes that we apparently need. There is no need to remove any land from the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt can be expanded, but should not otherwise change. The Housing Task Force report recommends significant loosening of zoning restrictions in neighbourhoods that currently allow only detached or semi-detached houses. The report also urges the automatic approval of up to four housing units on any residential lot. The premier needs to put an end to exclusionary zoning, build the missing middle and increase density in neighbourhoods zoned exclusively for single-family homes. Our premier must stop favouring a handful of developers and please keep his promise not to touch the Greenbelt. We must preserve it for future generations.