Removing land from the…

Removing land from the Greenbelt, which took many years to establish, needs much more study and debate, and this hasn’t even begun to happen. Having been part of a landowner’s group, owned land zoned agricultural, whitebelt and urban boundary, I am well aware of the costs and timelines of development. Part of that involved working with the Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority for example. Moreover, having been involved in brown-field re-development and intensification, I also recognize the potential to meet growing housing demand within existing boundaries. The Greenbelt, Oak Ridges Moraine, Places to Grow, The Green Energy Act and other legislation was part of an overall plan to reduce our impacts on the environment, make better investments in infrastructure, reduce emissions, improve air quality. If the government thinks we need to roll back various protective, progressive policies, then we need to properly study it and debate it, not rush bills through.