When it was initiated in…

When it was initiated in 2005, Ontario's Greenbelt offered permanent protection to two million hectares of productive farmland and environmentally sensitive areas from sprawl and unsustainable development. The founders of this remarkable conservation success story even then, knew that this precious Greenbelt would face threats, especially from those wanting to profit from paving and building on it. However they probably didn't foresee that the threats to the Greenbelt would come from those who promised to protect it, as Doug Ford did in 2018.

Before the 2018 election Ford said, " “I govern through the people, I don’t govern through government. The people have spoken – we won’t touch the Greenbelt.” As recently as a year ago Premier Ford said, “we weren’t going to touch the Greenbelt for developers” and “we’ve kept that promise.” Housing Minister Clark also promised to protect the greenbelt from development.

The fact that our Greenbelt is permanently protecting this region's bountiful agricultural land, watersheds and forests, clearly makes any incursion into the greenbelt a bad idea! But to break a repeated promise on such an issue of serious importance to most Ontarians, a promise made by a Premier whose oft-repeated slogan is "promise made, promise kept", shows extreme disrespect for democracy and is a slap in the face to Ontarians. Premier Ford needs to admit that Bill 23 was a mistake, repeal it, and provide greater protection for Ontario's farmland and natural areas, not less protection.

As groups such as Environmental Defense have advised, "Through zoning reform, municipalities can spur construction of the same number of homes and the same mix of housing types in the existing neighbourhoods where people want to live as they can through greenfield sprawl."

Through this kind of municipal zoning reform, as well as by building more government-funded affordable housing projects such as cooperative and non-profit housing, we can solve our affordable housing crisis. But our precious Greenbelt MUST remain intact. Premier Ford, you promised!!