I am appalled at the…

I am appalled at the arbitrary, illogical, and probably illegal way Bill 23 is taking farmland out of the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt needs to be strengthened, not destroyed. Over my lifetime I have seen loss of farmland near our family farm in the Niagara Peninsula, that was unnecessary, and a squandering of a precious natural resource.
The pandemic has taught us that we need products made in Ontario and certainly inflation and supply chain issues underline the importance of having food grown, within our province. The soil, climate and natural features of the Golden Horseshoe do not exist anywhere else in Ontario and the tender fruit crops, which are grown here, cannot grow elsewhere in Ontario. Crops grown on these prime agricultural lands will be lost and this has an economic impact, as well as a soul destroying impact on farm families.
This is not the way to solve the housing crisis, by destroying our farmland. All urban centres have the ability to make changes within their borders to increase their density. There are industrial lands that should be remediated to provide affordable housing, parks and urban forests. The provincial government should be supporting local municipalities to do this, not offering prime land to greedy developers to build monster homes, that most people won't be able to afford anyway.
In spite of seeing orchards around our community cut down, in order to provide commercial uses, our family took solace in the fact that our farm was protected, since it fell within the greenbelt border. Bill 23 must be repealed because it sets a dangerous precedent. Anytime a government reformulates the greenbelt, farms can be expropriated or purchased by a greedy developer, in exchange for political patronage. We thought being in the greenbelt protected the farm in perpetuity. As the urban borders expand our farmland and heritage is being lost to future generations.
It's not too late to do the right thing. Repeal Bill 23. Strengthen and expand the Greenbelt. Protect our farmers and this unique resource they have stewardship over. Pay attention to climate change. Don't pave over our orchards.