Consultations could result in largest expansion of the protected lands since 2005
The Ontario government has launched a 60-day consultation to grow the Greenbelt and help protect more of the province's natural environment — including farmlands, forests, wetlands and watersheds — from future development.
The government is seeking public input on how best to grow the size and quality of the Greenbelt, including:
the Paris Galt Moraine (from Caledon in the northeast to Brantford)
adding, expanding and further protecting urban river valleys, and increasing the Greenbelt's footprint into high density urban areas including the areas around the Don River in Toronto and land around Duffins Creek in Ajax and Pickering.
Comments are welcome by email: greenbeltconsultation@ontario.ca or through the Environmental Registry of Ontario by April 19, 2021.
According to an article in the Feb 17th Star the minister said “As part of this consultation, people will acknowledge that infrastructure can be built because of the Greenbelt Act. Highways can be built, sewage pipes can be built, infrastructure is allowed in the Greenbelt, so we’re not proposing to make any changes to that section.” Also “Our government will not consider any proposals to remove or develop any part of it,” the minister said, stressing that existing legislative protections would remain.
Checkout the Environmental Defence blueprint submitted to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.