According to the Report of…

According to the Report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force, land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts. The report goes on to state that greenbelts and other environmentally sensitive areas MUST BE PROTECTED.

By permanently setting aside land for farming and natural heritage, the Greenbelt protects land from the intense speculation and development pressure in Southern Ontario. Without this permanent protection, agricultural land would quickly become completely unaffordable to farmers. Even raising the possibility of removing any land from the Greenbelt WILL CREATE A SPECULATIVE RUSH AND INTENSE DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE ON ALL THE LANDS CURRENTLY WITHIN THE GREENBELT.

Currently, there is a vast supply of unused greenfield land already open for development within existing municipal boundaries (350 square kilometers as of 2019) and the current round of Official Plans awaiting approval will add 42,000 additional hectares of non-Greenbelt land to that vast stockpile.

The proposal to amend the Greenbelt plan is bad for the health of our province and Ontarians. Amending the Greenbelt plan will further the destruction of critical natural areas in a time of climate crisis while also failing to deliver the urban transformation – or the affordable housing – that Ontario needs.