The provincial government…

The provincial government has said very little when it comes to setting clear higher-density standards in new and in-fill housing. This is an obvious solution that would help to conserve our natural heritage from the pressures of development. If we can build more land-efficient housing to begin with why wouldn't we? This would follow the government's own recommendation of avoidance-first (in terms of natural area protection). The government should be actively promoting hard urban boundaries and encouraging infilling of communities, and again, the current government does not seem to be employing these 'avoidance first techniques'. The bottom line is, when it comes to housing, we should be encouraging hard urban boundaries, looking at infilling first, and finally setting higher density requirements for new-builds. All of these would go a long way towards preserving our natural heritage as well as providing more effective and faster solutions to the housing affordability crisis!
Allowing for more density in urban areas allows for more efficient use of public transportation and active transportation, which help alleviate significantly on traffic congestion. These solutions should be PUSHED by the government, not merely one part of the many easements on development you are offering. Increasing rural housing is a silly idea- people will inevitably exist mostly in widely- spaced car dependant areas which will add significantly to our congestion issues while not adding significantly to housing supply. The best tools for addressing the housing affordability crisis are undoubtedly building short to medium height condo and apartment buildings in existing urban areas and along transit routes, while allowing for better mixed-use planning.
We should be aiming on keeping as much natural heritage areas intact as possible within and close to our urban areas, as opposed to merely offsetting it somewhere else. Natural areas still provide many benefits to species and humans living in urban areas and deserve to be protected.