I wish to comment on the…

I wish to comment on the Province of Ontario's proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan.

The housing problem has not been created by a lack of housing; instead, it has been created by the construction of housing that is being purchased as an investment, rather than to be lived in. Urban areas adjacent to the Greenbelt have lands available for infill development. The housing crisis could be reduced if the Province of Ontario was to support the development of other forms of housing, such as purpose built rental housing, affordable social housing and seniors' housing, by providing financial support to municipalities to enable these housing forms to be created. Residents in this infill housing would also benefit from access to existing municipal infrastructure, such as transit, community services, schools, health care and groceries.

The Greenbelt was created in 2005 to protect the lands for the benefit of all Ontarians. These lands support clean air, fresh water, climate resilience and provide a local food source. None of these priorities have changed since that time. The risk to Ontario residents of future environmental disasters caused by wind, ice storms, or flooding will be increased by removing land from the Greenbelt, even if the land removed is replaced. in addition, the land proposed to be removed is prime agricultural land, required to feed all Ontarians. The construction of single-family homes and condominiums on these lands will also require the construction of additional infrastructure which will increase the environmental burden and further reduce prime agricultural land.

I am strongly opposed to the Province of Ontario's proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan to remove certain lands from the designation for the purposes of creating additional single-family homes and condominium developments.