Dear Environmental Registry…

Dear Environmental Registry of Ontario,

I am a student from Central Peel Secondary School. I am writing to you today because I feel that the amendment 1.1: deleting “low-density urban sprawl” and replacing it with “unmanaged growth” isn’t in the best interests for our future. Urban sprawl was once considered a threat to the environment, however, with a lot of planning and many improvements, it is no longer harmful. Now, unmanaged growth proposes more threats to the environment than urban sprawl once did. For the forthcoming world, I hope to live in a community with a strong ecosystem, a vast variety of natural resources and a clean and healthy environment. This is because I believe that nature provides us with many necessities that we cannot provide for ourselves. “Unmanaged growth”to some extent is disregarding our environment, and will fail to provide nature’s elements that are a need for humans to survive.

Firstly, substituting unmanaged growth for low-density urban sprawl will affect Ontario’s “White-belt”. Since White-belts lie between the boundaries of urban settlement areas and the boundaries of the Greenbelt, they are not subject to the policies of the Greenbelt Plan or the Growth Plan. They are primarily used for agricultural and rural uses. Unmanaged growth will result in the expansion of municipalities into areas of the white-belt, affecting the agriculture there.
Secondly, switching urban sprawl to unmanaged growth can affect what will happen in the near future and the different aspects to our environments and ecosystems . Before, the plan stated that urban sprawl was the one responsible for degrading the environment and resources but now unmanaged growth is. Unmanaged growth actually degrades “the region’s air quality; water resources; natural heritage resources, such as rivers, lakes, woodlands, and wetlands; and cultural heritage resources.” The lack of these natural resources can affect the needs of humans

Finally, altering low-density urban sprawl to unmanaged growth can result in companies overusing natural resources. The amendment is not specific enough. It creates loopholes and allows companies and other businesses to take advantage of the rules since they are not descriptive. Unmanaged growth can result in the exploitation of many factories and businesses. These factories and businesses harness natural resources in unprecedented amounts. The natural resources will start to decrease even more rapidly than before. Unmanaged growth will cause humans, factories and companies to consume natural resources at a faster pace.

In conclusion, the amendment 1.1, deleting “low-density urban sprawl” and replacing it with “unmanaged growth” isn’t beneficial for our future because it affects the “White-belt” areas, it proposes a threat to natural resources, and it increases the amount of natural resources

Sincerly, a grade 9 student