The Greenbelt is at risk from some developers who want to pave over Ontario's Greenbelt with low-density cookie-cutter sprawl and highways. Don't let them destroy Ontario's Greenbelt!
The Greenbelt protects some of the province's most sensitive natural areas and best remaining farmland in Canada. It provides us with local food, access to nature, and is a source of clean drinking water for millions of people in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which includes the GTA.
Currently, there are over 600 requests to take out land from the Greenbelt. Many developers are calling for even bigger areas to be removed. If Ontario approves these requests, even more developers will ask to remove land from Greenbelt. And before we know it, the Greenbelt will begin to disappear and it won't be long before it's gone.
Tell Ontario to keep the Greenbelt strong for today and future generations and demand that it turn down greedy requests from profit-driven developers to take land out of the Greenbelt. Now's the time to save the Greenbelt for good!
Dear Premier Kathleen Wynne,
cc. Minister Bill Mauro, Municipal Affairs and Housing
Ontario has to choose between the greedy voices of sprawl developers or the best interests of its residents.
We are at a turning point when it comes to protecting our remaining prime farmland, at-risk forests and open spaces, and how we build smarter, healthier communities for the 21st century. Both the Greenbelt and Growth Plans are your roadmap to a better future, where sprawl slows down and ends and where Ontarians’ farmland, watersheds and open spaces are permanently protected. But both plans need your leadership now.
I urge you to hold strong against pressures from the development industry and make sure the new Greenbelt Plan and new Growth Plan stop urban sprawl from getting into the Greenbelt. Accordingly, as you consider changes to both plans:
- Do not allow any land swaps or land removals from within the Greenbelt.
- Resist greedy developers who want to water down density targets for municipalities in the Growth Plan that are designed to promote smart growth that prepares us for climate change.
- Do not proceed with draft changes to the Greenbelt Plan and the Growth Plan that allow towns and villages within the Greenbelt to expand their urban boundaries to allow more development.
Ontarians love the Greenbelt. They love the local food it produces. They love the natural spaces and wildlife it contains and they cherish it as a source for our drinking water. Since 2005, your government has shown a strong commitment to the Greenbelt and Ontarians are grateful for this.
Please make sure any changes you make to planning laws help the Greenbelt thrive by keeping urban sprawl out.
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
