Newmarket mayor, deputy at odds over greenbelt development proposal

Newmarkettoday.ca
Nov. 1, 2021

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor and Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh disagree over the future of the protected greenbelt in York Region.

York regional council voted 13-5 Oct. 28 in favour of an official plan amendment that could see some protected lands in Markham and Vaughan used for parkland. Taylor voted against the proposal, while Vegh voted in favour.

Markham and Vaughan want to rezone 1,400 acres of greenbelt lands known as the "green fingers" from agricultural to rural, to develop them as urban parkland. Taylor said he opposes opening up those additional lands for development.

“From a financial and environmental sustainability perspective, it’s not something I can support,” Taylor said.

The proposal has faced opposition from the likes of the York Region Federation of Agriculture and environmental groups concerned by the loss of farmland and protected greenspace. But the lower-tier municipal councils have assured they would only allow the lands to be developed as park space for residents in increasingly intensified urban areas.

That was the argument Vegh echoed in response to social media commentary he read, suggesting this would lead to trees getting bulldozed or commercial or residential buildings.

“It’s really about open spaces and parks for the residents to use. Really nothing unusual about that,” Vegh said. “I do encourage the public to read that because there is a bit of a knee-jerk reaction.”

But Taylor said there is the potential of precedent, with the rezoning allowing for different uses in the future. He said though he does not doubt the intent of the current councils, those councils will not be in place forever.

“The truth is land-use planning changes can move, be applied differently over time within the scope they allow, and possibly even be a step to a different scope,” Taylor said. “That’s not unfair to talk about, and it’s not misleading.”

The non-profit Greenbelt Foundation, which invests to support greenbelt land, issued a statement Oct. 28 expressing its disappointment in the decision.

"We are concerned that the approval of ROPA 7 is detrimental to Greenbelt lands and may set a regrettable precedent for future decisions. The approval weakens protections for natural and agricultural systems by broadening the future interpretation of recreational uses in the Greenbelt to include more disruptive infrastructure,” the foundation said.

The proposal still needs to be approved at the provincial level before coming into effect.