I submit this comment as a…

I submit this comment as a law student, an environmental advocate, and a concerned citizen.

The Greenbelt Act governs the preservation of the Greenbelt. I would like to highlight some key purposes of the Act:

5(e) to provide protection to the land base needed to maintain, restore and improve the ecological and hydrological functions of the Greenbelt Area; and

5(i) to control urbanization of the lands to which the Greenbelt Plan applies.

The Ministry intends to remove 7400 acres of protected land from the Greenbelt in the name of urbanization. These lands contain sprawling farmland, diverse ecosystems, and essential hydrological sites. Above all else, the Ministry should know that its Proposal directly contradicts the purpose of the Act.

By expanding the Greenbelt to include the Paris Galt Moraine, the Ministry can technically bypass the limits that the Greenbelt Act put in place to preserve the integrity of the Greenbelt:

12(2) The Minister shall not recommend a proposed amendment under clause (1) (a) if the proposed amendment has the effect of reducing the total land area within the Greenbelt Plan.

The Paris Galt Moraine contains invaluable watersheds and ecosystems and deserves to be protected, either by adding it to the Greenbelt or through other legislation. However, this protection should not be predicated on expunging other valuable lands from the Greenbelt, as this Proposal seeks to do. The Ministry is holding the Paris Galt Moraine hostage and demanding that if Ontarians want this chance to save it from development, then we must give up the proposed Greenbelt areas. This is not an acceptable or forward-thinking way to treat Ontario's lands.

Finally, the approval of this Proposal would make a dangerous suggestion - that developing the Greenbelt is allowable if the Ministry deems it necessary to house our growing population. I am very concerned that this decision would lead to more proposals to weaken the Greenbelt in the name of urbanization, which again, directly contradicts the purpose of the Greenbelt Act (s.5(i)).

This poorly thought-out strategy to tackle the housing crisis would irreparably harm the incredibly valuable natural lands that surround our cities. I therefore strongly urge the Ministry to reconsider this Proposal.

RG