As stated in the Greenbelt…

As stated in the Greenbelt Act, the Greenbelt “Gives permanent protection to the natural heritage and water resource systems that sustain ecological and human health and that form the environmental framework around which major urbanization in south-central Ontario will be organized.” (1) The Greenbelt provides numerous environmental benefits including climate regulation, flood control, water filtration, erosion control and habitat for endangered flora and fauna as well as economic benefits of $9 billion annually, agricultural and recreational benefits (2). As populations increase in southern Ontario these protected areas will only become more valuable, and need to be protected for future generations. Developing on these protected areas, even if the area is small relative to the 2 million total protected acres, endangers the permanent protected status of the Greenbelt and risks further future reductions of these protected areas. Adding land to the Greenbelt in some areas to remove land in others is not acceptable or equivalent.

Furthermore, it is incorrect to suggest that developing these areas is necessary to meet Ontario’s housing goals. The Ontario government’s own Task Force on Ontario Housing Affordability specifically noted that a land shortage is not the cause of Ontario’s housing problems and sufficient land is available within existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts to address Ontario’s housing supply gap. The report noted “Greenbelts and other environmentally sensitive areas must be protected, and farms provide food and food security. Relying too heavily on undeveloped land would whittle away too much of the already small share of land devoted to agriculture.” (3) Allowing more density in already built areas will make better use of infrastructure and transit in which the government has already invested billions of dollars. Building in the greenbelt is not justified or needed.

The long term cost of unnecessarily developing on highly environmentally and economically valuable permanently protected land is incredibly short sighted and should not be permitted. A housing affordability crisis is not the only crisis we are facing and we cannot solve one at the expense of the other. The Affordable Housing Task Force outlined many measures Ontario can implement to address housing supply issues, building in the Greenbelt is not one of them.

References:

1) ERO 019-6216 Proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan, Supporting Document: Summary of Greenbelt Plan Policies

2) Mausberg B., 2017. The Greenbelt : Protecting and Cultivating a Great Ontario Treasure.

3) Housing Affordability Task Force, Feburary 8, 2022, Report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force