The easements placed on the…

The easements placed on the lands within the DRAP (Duffin Rouge Agricultural Preserve) were intended to be in PERPETUITY. The Province of Ontario has only one preserve for Agriculture. The land is class 1 farmland and has a multitude of capabilities. Revoking the CPDP allows for further destruction of conservation lands and historical features on the Seaton side. Seaton is not complete and the roads, schools, community centres, trails and all the amenities that make a community viable have not been either started or completed, without a plan how can we ensure that the things that were promised will be provided. Along with the uncertainty of the plan for Seaton, the revocation of the CPDP promises total destruction of the DRAP. Once it is gone it is gone. Other influences have coincided to cause most developers to slow down construction, due to lack of workers, supply shortages and increased prices of material and potential purchasers have backed off due to high interest rates. The only thing that makes homes affordable on the DRAP is the ridiculously low price that was paid initially for the land. Unless the purchaser intended a career change as a farmer, he/she should not have purchased the land. It is entirely possible that the purchaser had some insider information or had prepaid to have the zoning and easements lifted by gifting the City of Pickering $600,000.00. Retaining the DRAP for Agriculture is one of the good things we can do for the future. I am certain it is perfect for growing food. Certainly, our supply chain issues have shown us the importance of food security at home and the need for less reliance on other countries. I implore you to rethink the revocation of the Central Pickering Development Plan.