The Greenbelt and Bill 23

It has seemed, to me at least, that the Greenbelt has been repeatedly under threat of being opened up to development.  Yet each time that threat is raised, it is met with very strong opposition.  And then that opposition is met with assurances from the Provincial Government that they had no intentions of ever opening greenbelt lands for development whether that was for employment use or residential…

In 2020, in response to public outcry over the – at the time –  latest published reports of the province opening up the Greenbelt,  the Minister of Municipal Affairs  stated, categorically, “I can tell the members of the House and every head of council and every councillor in every community across Ontario that if you’re going to give us a request to develop property within the greenbelt, we have one short answer: No.”

And yet, here we are again.  2 years later, with another more serious threat to development in the Greenbelt – Bill 23 and the proposed removal of over 7400 acres of land from the Greenbelt.  The rationale provided for the removal?  to accelerate the building of much needed housing.

What we get, apparently, is about 50,000 new homes; 50,000 new homes traded for 7400 acres of protected land.

Even if one thought that trade off was worth it – and I don’t – Greenbelt lands aren’t needed to build the housing we need.  The Province’s own Housing Affordability Task Force said as much.  To quote the Task Force, “…a shortage of land isn’t the cause of the problem…land is available both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts.”

We don’t need more sprawl to solve the housing crisis; we need a greater range of housing options –  duplexes, triplexes, sixplexes, low rises – on transit routes, close to amenities.

We need enforceable Official Plans that reflect the housing needs of our communities with policy provisions that foster the development of diverse housing stock to ensure attainable housing options for  every generation – from young families starting out to Seniors that want to age in place.

We need to work collaboratively and leverage the planning tools available to us to continue to encourage the development of the “gentle density”; the “missing middle”, that is so often referenced by political leaders at every level.

What we don’t need are the greenbelt lands to achieve it.

Given the widespread opposition to Bill 23, I would hope that the Minister and the current government reconsiders their change in stance and instead recommit to protecting the Greenbelt.

We all recognize the need to address the housing crisis.  But it shouldn’t come at the expense of the environment.