Ontario Greenbelt still threatened as province proceeds with Hwy. 413 plans

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 10, 2023

While news of Premier Doug Ford reversing his decision to build on the Greenbelt was met with applause, there are still some wanting more to be done.

On Thursday, Sept. 21, Ford announced that he was reversing the controversial decision to build on Greenbelt lands for residential development.

The news came as a shock and after an inquiry was made by the integrity commissioner, who found that the land deals would have favoured certain developers over others.

“I think this is a huge victory. This reversal is putting land back into the green belt and is a huge victory for the people of Ontario,” said Gideon Forman, policy analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation.

But Forman remains a bit circumspect.

“(The) announcement reversing the withdrawals (of land) is a big victory full-stop, but it's not the end of the story,” said Forman.

Forman believes now is the time to add pressure to the Provincial government to save farmland, adding that “Hwy. 413 would pave a lot of Greenbelt land” and that land is some of the “top farmland in the province.”

53 per cent of Ontario’s fruit acreage and 11 per cent of Ontario’s vegetable acreage occupy the Greenbelt, according to the Greenbelt Foundation, according to the Greenbelt Foundation, a charitable organization with a mandate to protect and educate about the Greenbelt.

It’s also a natural habitat for several species-at-risk, Forman told York Region news.

“You've got deer through there; you've got coyotes through there. It's an important natural area. And you have the Humber River which still has a variety of fish, including some rare fish. And all of that would be negatively impacted by 413,” said Forman.

In total, there are 29 federally listed species-at-risk, according to Environmental Defence, an environmental organization that has been vocal about the negative consequences of building on Greenbelt land.

Critics argue that the same developers who stood to gain in the housing development deal over the Greenbelt will still get sweetheart deals for building the highway.

Ford maintained that he would still build the Hwy. 413 and doubled down during Question Period in Queen’s Park saying, “I will guarantee you those same NDP members and Liberals will be on that highway, driving on the 413 when we build the 413.”