I am a resident of Ontario…

I am a resident of Ontario and a concerned citizen. I am very concerned about the Ford Government's proposal to use 7400 acres of protected Greenbelt land to build 50,000 homes. Though the Ford government says it plans to add to Greenbelt space from other areas, the government has not done its due diligence to 1/ assess what the impact of using these acres of Greenbelt land will be for the ecological systems in place and 2/if proposed added land really constitutes new land since much of the proposed land is already protected through other mechanisms.

We are in an era of climate crisis which is having a far-reaching impact on our planet. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is the importance of green space and how that affects our air, food supply and ecological systems.

I believe Ford's proposal is short-sighted. Though we need more homes, the far-reaching implications of using Greenbelt land could lead to more harm for our environment. I attached a copy of a report from the David Suzuki Foundation on The Role of the Ontario Greenbelt in Mitigating Climate Change. The conclusion of this detailed report is that "by protecting some of our most valuable natural systems, the Greenbelt has the potential to ensure healthy and vibrant ecosystems, provide fresh air and drinking water, locally sourced and high-quality agriculture, and access to beautiful natural recreation sites...The Greenbelt’s forests, wetlands, and agricultural soils offer valuable climate change mitigation services through the capture and storage of carbon. As we embark on the increasingly urgent shift towards a low carbon future, the Greenbelt plays an important role in offsetting emissions from other sources while at the same time enhancing the other benefits it delivers."

I urge the Ford government to heed the warnings of environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and concerned citizens and find other land that is not protected Greenbelt land to build these homes. The Ford Government should heed its own task force which reported that “A shortage of land isn’t the cause of the problem (housing affordability),” it read. “Land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts.” The Ford Government should reconsider its decision to use Greenbelt land.