ERO 019-6217 I fully…

ERO 019-6216 / 019-6217

I fully support the removal of the Book Road West lands in Ancaster from the Greenbelt for several reasons already premised in the MMAH guidelines, but there is another underlying and compelling reason that is most important to me. It is as follows:

I purchased a parcel of land on Book Road West Ancaster a couple years after the original Greenbelt was established primarily BECAUSE the Book Road Area was NOT part of the newly established Greenbelt. It was safe! But it was not until some 7 years later, 10 years after the Greenbelt was established, that the City changed its mind and did a unjust and undemocratic move, and voted the area into the Greenbelt without any scientific justification, and without any input from the area owners.

At the time, this area was going through the planning process whereby our land group submitted studies and consultations to bring these lands forward as a future growth area, and began working with the City to move the project forward.

But City in conjunction with the Liberal government moved to quash our effort to develop these lands and misused the Greenbelt title as a tool to stop developmentbof an area. There was no scientific justification that these lands be placed into the Greenbelt. Book Road West area is not Prime Agriculture nor is there any farming happening that would support the food supply or otherwise. This is evidenced by ALL of the generational owners and farmers of these lands vehemently opposing a Greenbelt status back in 2016-17 when this decision was made. Councilor Ferguson in conjunction with Minister McMeekin and the Chief Planner ensured the area would never be developed by using the Greenbelt title to block development for their purposes. This is not how a Greenbelt should be decided. All the owners were furious about how undemocratic and intentional it was. The process is a matter of record, and even during this recent MCR process, Ferguson and the Chief Planner made reference to how they stopped Book Road West and its all on video and they laughed about how it happened. This was not only insulting to all those generational owners, but its on record, and speaks to how conspiratorial their game was.

I am fully in favour as an Ancaster resident that Book Road West be removed from the Greenbelt and permitted to develop as there are several ways to service the area immediately but the City will try to tell you otherwise.