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Coalition condemns Ford government's move to open Greenbelt lands for housing

Provincial government's proposal comes as part of plan to build 1.5 million homes

CBC.ca
Nov. 22, 2022

A coalition of groups including environmentalists, labour unions, farmers, housing advocates and others has issued a statement slamming the Ontario government's plans to open up sections of protected Greenbelt land for housing development.

The statement, which has been signed by more than 125 organizations and 100 people, alleges that the government's plan will not create more housing or improve affordability, but will instead "supercharge expensive and wasteful urban sprawl" while also undermining environmental protections and transferring money "from taxpayers to land speculators and developers."

"These proposed actions by the Province will not solve the housing and affordability crisis," said Geordie Dent, executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants' Association, in a statement.

"Renters will have fewer protections. And people who are looking for housing they can afford in neighbourhoods they want to live in won't be any better off because of these proposed actions."

As recently as last year, provincial officials said they would not open Greenbelt lands for development. Premier Doug Ford reneged on that promise earlier this month, justifying the proposal by saying the province's housing crisis has worsened -- and that it will become more dire now that the federal government has unveiled a plan to bring in half a million more immigrants a year.

"We have a housing crisis that we didn't have four years ago," Ford said at a news conference earlier this month.

"We are going to make sure we get housing built."

Proposal won't solve crisis: ex-Greenbelt council chair

The proposal, which was released earlier this month, aims to build at least 50,000 new homes on more than a dozen tracts of land now in the Greenbelt, while adding roughly 2,000 acres of protected land elsewhere. This is all part of the province's plan to build 1.5 million homes over the next decade to alleviate Ontario's severe housing shortage.

The government's proposal is drawing criticism from Opposition politicians and provincial groups alike.

Who are the GTA developers set to benefit from Ford government's Greenbelt land swap?

The Ford government wants to open up the Greenbelt for housing. Here's what it's proposing

"What it amounts to is a direct attack on the territory and integrity of the Greenbelt. If this continues it will begin the unraveling of the Greenbelt," said David Crombie, who has served as both Toronto's mayor and the chair of the Provincial Greenbelt Council, in an interview.

Crombie said the plan won't help with the housing crisis, considering the government has shied away from intensification in already built-up areas.

"Do we need more housing? Yes we do. Our argument is that we need affordable housing -- and what they have not done, is done those things that require [participation] in programs for the development of affordable housing."

Max Hansgen, president of the National Farmers Union for Ontario, echoed that sentiment in the coalition's statement Monday. He said the proposal to remove farmland from the Greenbelt will harm farmers and their capacity to supply the province with food.

"These proposed actions would also take away farmers' rights to appeal development decisions that could harm their land and farm businesses and would make it much easier for land speculators to turn irreplaceable farmland into unsustainable urban sprawl," he said.

A closer look

Here are the areas of land the Ford government wants to open up for development: