I am profoundly against…

I am profoundly against opening the Greenbelt and the Oak Ridges Moraine area for development in any capacity. This proposal goes against the intention of the Greenbelt while not doing much to address the crisis it claims to solve. Not only that, it flies in the face of recommendations made by the province's very own Housing Affordability Task Force.

There is no need to build on environmentally-sensitive lands. As the Report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force states, "Land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts". Municipal plans show that there are approximately 88,000 acres of land within urban boundaries across the region already approved for housing. Incentivizing developers to build on those properties would be a better way forward. As stated in the Report, "Greenbelts and other environmentally-sensitive areas must be protected, and farms provide food and food security. Relying too heavily on undeveloped land would whittle away too much of the already small share of land devoted to agriculture."

Furthermore, the Report states that "An international survey of 74 cities in 16 countries found that Toronto, at 96 minutes both ways, had the longest commute times in North America and was essentially tied with Bogota, Colombia, for the longest commute time worldwide." More car-dependant single-family homes won't solve this problem. Rather, increasing urban sprawl will make matters worse. Instead, we should look to increase public transit accessibility. As the Report states, "Access to transit is linked to making houses more affordable: when reliable transit options are near by, people can get to work more easily. They can live further from the centre of the city in less expensive areas without the added cost of car ownership."

With these things in mind, we should build higher-density properties along transit routes. As recommended by the Report, "New housing on undeveloped land should also be higher density than traditional suburbs, especially close to highways." In addition to that, we should look for ways to encourage municipalities to increase density. The Report states, "It's estimated that 70% of land zoned for housing in Toronto is restricted to single-detached or semi-detached homes." Those kinds of zoning laws are outdated and need to be changed or bypassed. Modernized zoning would open the way for middle density housing such as 3 - 6 story buildings to be built within existing neighbourhoods. That kind of housing could make a big impact on rental prices.

As the Report tells us, "Fixing the housing crisis needs everyone working together." If the Provincial Government and Municipalities work together, they can find a solution for the housing crisis. Picking apart the Greenbelt is short-sighted and won't contribute to a long-term solution for Ontario.