This proposal seems to be…

This proposal seems to be steeped in short-sightedness in regards to environmental impacts. The Greenbelt is not the stock market, where parties can swap existing designated parcels for non-designated parcels. By ridding the Greenbelt of 7,400 existing designated acres, that will strip those areas of their environmental significance entirely - yet "replacing" them with some 9,000 acres beyond the current Greenbelt perimeter does nothing to mitigate the environmental impacts that human development will have. Two parcels of land are not interchangeable - they each hold unique places within their own localized ecosystems that are not "replaceable".

Further, how will these 50,000+ homes be developed in an environmentally-conscious way that can be considered anything but "sprawl"? Sprawl has been proven to be catastrophic for natural environments, with compounding effects found through impermeable surface-generated runoff, induced car-dependency, decimated natural habitat, and lack of sustainable development solutions. Perhaps a plan to create a localized, walkable community replete with small business opportunities, education and recreation facilities, municipal offices and services, and an overall concentrated development footprint could be posed as a solution to the housing demand that will result in a sustainable future for generations beyond the current sitting PC government.

Beyond this, has there been given any thought to the generational turnover that we are already seeing, but will only intensify in the next couple decades? With the Baby Boomer generation retiring and aging out of capable home ownership, will there not be a surge of migration from single-family homes toward long-term care facilities? Perhaps there is a long-term need for these care homes, which will result in an increased supply of single-family homes that are currently occupied by those Baby Boomers.

Last, where is the research and analysis on land within existing urban boundaries? Has every existing parcel of urban land that has development potential been explored? Vast expanses of parking lots and decomissioned land sit vacant, proximal to existing urban infrastructure. Sprawling into natural ecosystems and habitats should not be the first step in this process.