Protect Ontario’s Greenbelt

Blanding’s turtles, eastern meadowlarks, and Acadian flycatchers. Butternut, American chestnut, and cucumber trees. These are just a few of the 29 endangered and threatened species of animals and plants that live on the land removed from the Greenbelt by Doug Ford’s government late last year. [1]

Ford’s plans to strip the Greenbelt’s environmental protections so his developer friends can profit are already being realized. [2,3] But the destruction that developing the Greenbelt will cause isn’t just subject to the whims of the provincial government — it goes against federal protections for at-risk species. Environment Minister Guilbeault has the power to slow down or even freeze developments on former Greenbelt lands, and we can push the federal government to do just that. [4]

The Trudeau government can issue emergency orders to block construction that poses an immediate threat to an at-risk species on non-federal land — and there are 29 such species covering all 7,400 acres of land Ford removed from the Greenbelt. [5]

Trudeau and Guilbeault won’t take these measures unless they have to. But the Liberal government needs the support of Ontarians to ensure their reelection — and a massive petition could embolden them to stand up to Doug Ford and intervene to protect key at-risk species. Will you sign the petition calling on the federal government to block development on the Greenbelt?

With Bill 23, Ford undermined laws that protect wildlife, keep our drinking water safe, guard wetlands, and ensure flood protection. [6] His plans have sparked unprecedented protests in communities around the Greenbelt. [7] But so far, Ford hasn’t backed down.

His claims that developing on Greenbelt lands will help fix Ontario’s housing crisis ring false. A provincial housing affordability task force showed that Greenbelt land isn’t needed to address the problem [8] — and Bill 23 actually makes it harder to build new affordable rental housing and jeopardizes the affordable housing that already exists. [9]

The only people who benefit from paving over the Greenbelt are wealthy developers. The federal government has a duty to intervene, using the Species At Risk Act and the Impact Assessment Act to stop Ford from destroying one of the most biodiverse areas in Ontario. Will you sign the petition to demand that Trudeau and Guilbeault block development on former Greenbelt lands?

https://act.leadnow.ca/block-development-greenbelt/

With determination and hope,
Rivka and Kate, on behalf of Leadnow

Sources:
[1] https://globalnews.ca/news/9806793/ontario-ford-government-greenbelt-changes-at-risk-species
[2] https://thenarwhal.ca/ford-ontario-greenbelt-cuts-developers
[3] https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-duffins-rouge-greenbelt
[4] See [1]
[5] See [1]
[6] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/11/10/opinion/sacrificing-ontario-scarce-green-space-sprawl-giant-mistake
[7] https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/12/04/10-ontario-communities-hold-unprecedented-rallies-sunday-to-protect-the-greenbelt-from-bill-23.html
[8] https://files.ontario.ca/mmah-housing-affordability-task-force-report-en-2022-02-07-v2.pdf
[9] https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/q-and-experts-more-homes-built-faster-act-or-bill-23