As an Ontario resident, I am…

As an Ontario resident, I am concerned about the proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan. I urge the Provincial Government to halt these proposed amendments for the following reasons:
-Land swaps defeat the purpose and is not the intended vision of the Greenbelt Act of 2005.
- The proposed addition of lands is not a like-for-like replacement, therefore, there is no justification for the land removals.
- The proposed amendment will not provide more affordable housing options since there are no requirements to build affordable houses.
-Expansion into the Greenbelt is unnecessary. For example, the city of Hamilton has developed a viable plan to accommodate urban growth within the existing urban area.
Greenbelt protection is more urgent than ever before to ensure future food security, climate resilience, protection/enhancement of biodiversity, protection of wetlands/surface and groundwater systems.
The Greenbelt is agriculturally and ecologically important and any proposed amendment that has the Greenbelt swapped for urban development should not happen. We cannot afford to get this wrong.