David Suzuki Foundation finds suburban voters want better protection of Greenbelt

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 26, 2022
Brian Capitao

A new EKOS poll finds that 75 per cent of voters in Toronto’s suburbs want candidates to offer more protection to the Greenbelt.

The study commissioned by the David Suzuki Foundation had a sample size of 862 respondents across the GTA -- Brampton, Etobicoke, Richmond Hill and Scarborough.

Key findings were that there was also great support for public transit (70 per cent) and more walkable communities (76 per cent).

Support rose among suburban motorists to nearly eight in 10.

“This puts to rest the fallacy that suburbanites only want highways and don’t care about nature,” said Maham Kaleem, David Suzuki Foundation elections co-ordinator, in a press release.

“In fact, suburban voters care deeply about the Greenbelt. Candidates in the upcoming election should back enhanced protection for our farmland and forests,” continued Kaleem.

With elections soon approaching, the issue of how to handle Highway 413 will be a key concern.

“In particular, (politicians) should note that voters in key suburban areas don’t want Highway 413, which would destroy the Greenbelt’s forests and farms. Candidates should support the highway's cancellation,” said Gideon Forman, climate change and transportation policy analyst, in a press release.

While support was highest among those 65 years of age or older, support for environmental concerns in this year’s municipal election among people between the ages of 18 and 34 in the suburbs was considerably lower.

The EKOS poll was conducted between Aug. 12 to 21, 2022. The margin of error on the full survey is +/- 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.