Silly me. I thought the…

Silly me. I thought the Greenbelt was sacrosanct—an oasis in a desert of urban sprawl—safeguarded in perpetuity to protect biodiversity in the province of Ontario. I live on the Oak Ridges Moraine, hallowed ground and water barrel for large portions of this province. In an age where we are experiencing the effects of climate change and where we expect our leaders to dedicate their full resources to fighting the effects of climate change by implementing environmental protection to meet the goals of global initiatives (COP 27 in 2022 and notably the Paris Agreement of COP 21 in December 2015), it is absolutely unacceptable that any governing body would entertain the thought of ravaging a protected area like the Greenbelt to build a questionable number of housing units. Shame on you! Is the lure of profits for a few developer supporters worth the future of your grandchildren and mine? Is there such a paucity of urban renewal expertise that your only option is the absolutely most unacceptable one? Surely, in an age when we are all shopping more and more online, it might have occurred to somebody at Queen’s Park that the large tracts of land dedicated to retail malls, whose time has come and gone, could be one answer to the presumed housing shortage? I’m sure a little reflection, exploration and discussion with urban renewal experts could uncover other solutions to the supposed “crisis” you’ve suddenly discovered. Look deeper, Mr. Ford, the widening gap between rich and poor is ultimately responsible for a plethora of problems plaguing our society. Do your job and stop destroying the legacy of the Greenbelt for our children and the generations to follow. Shame on you!

Please abandon Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act and leave the Greenbelt alone. At the very least, I implore you extend the very short window for consultation and listen to the staff recommendations in Vaughan, Markham and York Region, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), and the York Federation of Agriculture. A close examination of the rhetoric surrounding a supposed housing crisis, exploring where the numbers are actually coming from, and going beyond the politics is essential.