ERO 019 6217 Comments on…

ERO 019 6217 Comments on Proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Area boundary regulation

General Observations:

I do not agree with the Proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Area boundary regulation. It is not necessary and if enacted, it would set a precedent for possible future removals of land from the Ontario Greenbelt.

There’s absolutely no need to change the boundaries of land from the Ontario Greenbelt. In the Municipal Plans of ALL GTA Municipalities, there is provision for growth to the mid 21st Century. Some Municipalities have gone so far as to include growth densification thereby obfuscating any need by the present Ontario Government to change the boundaries of lands from the Ontario Greenbelt.

Proposing amendments that would see lands removed from the edge of the Ontario Greenbelt and the boundaries changed is not going to solve the need for affordable housing and or for those wishing to move to their own housing units. Instead, the government should be encouraging Municipalities to densify housing in their growth areas without having to remove land and change boundaries of the Ontario Greenbelt.

The 15 areas proposed to be removed as shown in Maps 1 to 11 are unnecessary and are more suitably left as they currently exist. Current policy is not to remove lands from the Ontario Greenbelt. Some of the smaller planned removals, near stream valleys, would encroach on the water courses. Most egregious is the suggested removal of Greenbelt lands as shown on Map 6 – Durham Rouge Agricultural Preserve (DRAP) - and Map 7 – 765 and 775 Kingston Road East in Ajax. The DRAP serves as a buffer between Metropolitan Toronto and Durham Region, provides fertile land for agriculture, provides a source of potable water, and provides natural environments for flora and fauna. 765 and 775 Kingston Road East are fertile lands that have been in agricultural use for as long as I can remember. This parcel of land contains a wood lot at its south end which contains some of the largest trees in the south of Durham Region. It is home to a thriving understory plant community which contains numerous species of Spring Ephemerals and other uncommon plants. This same wood lot is a Deer yard.

The DRAP and the 765 and 775 Kingston Road East in Ajax must not be removed from the Ontario Greenbelt by changing boundaries. These lands provide 2 natural corridors linking Lake Ontario to the Lake Iroquois Shoreline and Oak Ridges Moraine to the north. Changing the boundaries, removing them from the Ontario Greenbelt, and developing them breaks the existing natural corridor linkages.

Here’s what will happen if the Proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan are enacted:

1) Changing the boundaries of 7 400 Acres and removing these lands from the edge of the Ontario Greenbelt sets a precedent for further boundary changes and removals in the future. Agricultural areas, potable water sources for Ontario citizens, and natural environments would be lost and or degraded.

2) Turning the DRAP and lands known as 765 and 775 on Kingston Road East in Ajax over for housing means that two major natural corridor connections, one from Rouge National Urban Park to the Oak Ridges Moraine and the other from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine, will be lost.

3) If many of the smaller proposed land removals are approved from the Ontario Greenbelt, the changes in boundaries mean that there is possible encroachment on adjacent stream valleys and on the headwaters of some local creeks which in turn endangers fish habitat.

Recommendations:

1) Leave the Ontario Greenbelt as is in ALL areas by not changing boundaries such that there is no removal of any lands from it. Removing lands, as per 019 6217, threatens many stream valleys, headwaters of local creeks, fish habitat, 2 natural corridors, and the DRAP.

2) By conserving the boundaries of Ontario Greenbelt lands, protection is afforded to potable water sources, remaining fertile lands near the GTA, and natural environments for flora, fauna, and Ontario citizens to enjoy.

3) DRAP and the lands at 765 and 775 Kingston Road East in Ajax are 2 natural corridors which must be left alone – their boundaries unchanged. The natural corridors allow passage of fauna
south to north and vice versa.

4) Work within the boundaries of the present conurbations. The word is densify. Housing sprawl is uneconomical, degrades the natural environment, and is wasteful of lands that were previously natural and or used for agricultural purposes. Building upward and densifying growth is sustainable and what we must do to conserve the Ontario Greenbelt.

Conclusion:

Do not change the boundaries of or remove lands from the Ontario Greenbelt. There are already sufficient lands within the boundaries of ALL municipalities in the GTA for housing units. Leave the Durham Rouge Agricultural Preserve alone. DRAP is there to prevent the GTA from becoming a megalopolis, and provides a buffer between the City of Pickering and Metropolitan Toronto. Changing the boundaries of the Ontario Greenbelt to remove lands from its edge for development sets a precedent for future boundary changes and removals. The original intent of the Ontario Greenbelt was to leave the boundaries as is and keep it sacrosanct and unchanged.

Thank you for the opportunity to make comments on this proposal.