ERO 019-6216 Proposed…

ERO 019-6216 Proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan

As someone who lives in the Greenbelt and knows firsthand the value of these lands, and the richness of its soil, I oppose the proposal to remove 15 parcels of land from the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt was intended to offer permanent protection to natural areas and agricultural lands adjacent to Ontario’s fastest growing population centres.

The areas selected for Greenbelt protection were chosen after extensive scientific studies and public consultation. Your government should not be able to throw that in the dustbin without so much as a single explanation of what criteria was used to justify these deletions.

The excuse that these lands are needed for housing cannot be supported when your own consultant’s report said Greenbelt lands would not be needed to accommodate new housing. As well, Ontario’s municipalities have just gone through municipal plan reviews that set aside enough developable land to meet population growth until 2051.

We don’t have a housing crisis in Ontario as much as we have an affordable housing crisis in Ontario. That crisis cannot be solved by building new homes on currently unserviced Greenbelt lands. Truly affordable housing can only be built in already urbanized areas where infrastructure, transportation options, services and amenities already exist. Housing development must concentrate on the “missing middle” and purpose-built rentals, geared-to-income (whatever happened to that?) etc. Every municipality has acres of land within its urban boundaries suitable for redevelopment. This includes the single-storey commercial sprawl lining many arterial roads. Do something about that!

By putting a deadline in starting development on Greenbelt lands, you will be redirecting development away from projects scheduled for urban areas. Developers already have almost 88,000 acres of land already approved for development. What is holding them back is not the availability of land, it is a lack of construction workers, skilled trades, supplies/materials and simply the landbanking that has some developers sitting on approved parcels waiting for land values to climb so they can sell it off to others at an even greater profit.

Greenbelt land is not needed for development, but it is needed for food production.

Only 5% of Canada’s land is arable and only .5% of that is prime farmland — most of which is here is Southern Ontario and we are currently paving it over at a rate of 319 acres a day. This cannot be sustained, especially in light of the disruptions the climate crisis will have on global food supplies. For our own food security, we will need to grow more food here in Southern Ontario, not less. I recently read a press release from your government about a strategy to build the agricultural sector in Southern Ontario. It mentioned all kinds of things but not one word about protecting the farmland where food is grown. Everything depends on the soil.

The Greenbelt land that is being proposed to be removed in Grimsby is in a specialty crop area, land that is given the highest priority for protection because it is scarce and unique and if lost, cannot be recreated. With the best soils and unique microclimate, the lands between the escarpment and Lake Ontario in Niagara are uniquely capable of growing crops few other places in the Province can grow. So much of this precious growing area has already been sacrificed to expensive homes near the waterfront. We must protect what is left.

Paris Galt Moraine
Current Greenbelt land cannot simply be traded for land elsewhere. Offering to add river valleys, that are already, by their nature, protected from development to make up for taking farmland and natural areas out of the Greenbelt is a sleight of hand that everyone recognizes. In any case, it should not be about picking apart the existing Greenbelt and adding bits and pieces (again with no justification as to why particular pieces of land were chosen) for land elsewhere. It should be about protecting the existing Greenbelt with all its features and functions (agriculture, recreation, ecosystem heath, habitat protection, green infrastructure benefits) and adding more land to it so that future generations of Ontarioans can also benefit from this Province’s natural gifts.

Breaking Faith With The People

The Premier promised clearly, that this government would not touch the Greenbelt. This proposal breaks faith with the citizens of Ontario.

As you are well aware, there are serious questions about how these 15 parcels of land were selected for removal from the Greenbelt, including who will benefit at the expense of the people of Ontario, especially since several key parcels were purchased recently. This does not pass the smell test for ordinary citizens. There is a growing chorus of people who have called for investigations of various kinds into the situation. The number of people who are becoming aware, alarmed and activated is only growing. For reasons of self-preservation alone, this government should rethink these proposals.