The government states that…

The government states that the goal of the More Homes Built Faster plan is to address the housing crisis by building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. The government also claims that the proposed changes to the Greenbelt would "support our municipal partners to plan for responsible growth and help build housing faster and in a targeted manner."

Unfortunately, the government is eliding over the point that its municipal partners are not asking for additional green space to build houses on. The City of Hamilton recently decided to maintain its urban boundary and achieve increased housing through increased density. The province ignored their municipal partner and expanded the urban boundary by 2,200 hectares while also removing lands from the Greenbelt. A city councillor called the move a "betrayal of public trust and contempt for the people of Hamilton." Similarly, the City of Ottawa recently decided to expand its urban boundary by 1,281 hectares. The province similarly ignored this plan and increased the urban boundary by an additional 654 hectares, even though the Mayor of Ottawa said that the move"...is going to create more urban sprawl. It's going to be expensive for taxpayers."

Clearly the province is not interested in working with its municipal partners towards responsible growth and this removes what little justification there could be in removing lands from the Greenbelt. As the Greenbelt Foundation perfectly describes, "The Greenbelt is the heart of the Greater Golden Horseshoe - its PERMANENT protection is essential for climate resilient communities and a thriving local economy." (emphasis mine). I therefore believe that the Government of Ontario should reverse course and recommit to ensuring that all lands in the Greenbelt Area remain part of the Greenbelt in perpetuity and are not removed or redesignated for any purpose.