As a father, and lifelong…

As a father, and lifelong Ontario resident I am compelled to write, with grave concerns over many of the decisions being made at this time. It is obvious this proposal is being made under the guise of creating additional homes in Ontario, however there are no clauses or protections to ensure the housing created from this proposal will help those who need it most. Without ensuring everyone will have fair access to additional housing, this proposal makes it cheaper and easier for developers to build homes with big profit margins for themselves, while sticking the municipalities and thus the taxpayers with the difference.

Everyone is acutely aware that this Greenbelt proposal was not necessary in order to build homes quickly. The brazen disregard for the well-being of the environment AND current homeowners/taxpayers is absolutely gutting. It is not, in any manner, going to raise the low morale of our citizens , nor increase a sense of well-being and financial security during this economically recessive period of time.

It is obvious that the land-swap being proposed, and the associated talking-points about this proposal netting increased Greenbelt acreage, are nothing more than fancy hand-waving attempting to mislead the general public. We know for a fact many of the lands being added are protected through other means, and much of the additional land can NEVER be developed regardless, so it is inherently protected. Many experts have also chimed in to raise the alarm that the land added to the Greenbelt was thoughtfully considered, and has specific ecological impacts and reasons for being included. To simply propose to add new land, without additional studies and recommendations made, is inadequate. Why does the government refuse to answer questions with regard to how these specific parcels of land were chosen to be added to the Greenbelt?

It is saddening how our current Provincial Government shares information with its citizens. Few people really know the implications of the Bill, and were given little time to get informed and get involved. The lack of straight forward discussion/presentation of the facts of the Bill by our Premier, and the swiftness in order to pass it, demonstrates such a lack of regard for its citizens. This certainly looks like we have a Premier making decisions in the interest of the corporations, not for the people.

However, in summary, the above concerns must be addressed here in these consultations. Massive changes are needed now, before the damage is done. A wide-angle lense on the impact of the broader society and the future implications for years to come is necessary for informing future decisions, and for the protection of our children and our legacies.

Please DO NOT DO THIS. Do not swap short-term, perceived gain for long-term impacts to our sensitive environment and ecosystem that are already under attack from so many angles. The Greenbelt is something Ontarian's can point to with pride, as a demonstration of our commitment to protect something that is so hard to replace once it has been destroyed.

Thank you for this opportunity to share my opinions and I trust they will be thoughtfully considered.