[All] OGA & GREN Release Greenbelt Expansion Report and Today's Ministry Announcement
Kevin Thomason
kevinthomason at mac.com
Wed Feb 17 12:44:22 EST 2021
Hi GREN Folks,
You may see or have already seen a flurry of Greenbelt announcements in the news today:
1) OGA Announcement - Following the resignations of David Crombie, Kevin Eby, Lynn Morrow, and other key members of the Provincial Greenbelt Council back in December, Minister Steve Clark claimed the government was glad to see them go because the Committee had never produced the Greenbelt expansion plans he had requested. The government had never expressed any interest in expanding the Greenbelt though and had done almost everything possible to ignore, dissolve, and discourage the Greenbelt Council over the years preceding the resignations.
The Ontario Greenbelt Alliance (of which GREN is a member) decided that if the government is suddenly interested in expanding the Greenbelt that we would provide them with the plan that they were seeking. This report which was rapidly drafted with the assistance of the ex-Greenbelt Council members was released this morning at 8:00am. It is attached below as a PDF and can also be found at the following link:
https://environmentaldefence.ca/2021/02/17/over-90-groups-and-prominent-individuals-offer-a-new-blueprint-for-expanding-ontarios-greenbelt/
2) Ministry Announcement - Within 2 hours of our report being released this morning (though we learned they had seen an early draft copy of it 3 weeks ago), Minister Steve Clark held a press conference to announce that the provincial government was announcing consultations to study Greenbelt expansion. A copy of his announcement is attached below and can be found online at:
https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-3136
There is already considerable skepticism about the government’’s sincerity about growing the Greenbelt, they have made it clear that projects such as Highway #413 that would devastate huge tracts of Greenbelt lands and open massive greenfield areas for development would still be happening, and the expansion study announced today was extremely modest - most GTA urban river valleys were already added to the Greenbelt in 2017 and the Paris-Galt Moraine Act has already received unanimous approval on first and second readings and this seems like that is being discarded and the needed protection for this area is starting over again.
There is also the ongoing debate on Greenbelt expansion to Waterloo Region and if we are better with multiple layers of protection including Provincial Greenbelt status or if we are better without it and simply our own local protections in place. Thus, we will need to determine how much we advocate for expansion to our area during this consultation. In the past it was concluded that Provincial Greenbelt expansion would be favourable provided it didn’t override local protections and that the strongest of the two shall prevail.
I am attaching below a press release from Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition below so you can see how other communities are reacting to today’s announcements.
Please share any thoughts or ideas. I will keep you posted on anything further that I learn.
Cheers,
Kevin.
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OGA - Expanding Ontario’s Greenbelt Release:
For Immediate Release: February 17, 2021
Over 90 groups and prominent individuals offer a new blueprint for expanding Ontario’s Greenbelt
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, ONTARIO NATURE
Report provides advice requested by Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Toronto, Ont. – Today, over 90 groups and prominent individuals, including former members of the Greenbelt Council, released a new reportExpanding Ontario’s Greenbelt: Getting It Right <https://d36rd3gki5z3d3.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ExpandingOntariosGreenbelt_FinalFeb2021.pdf>. The report provides a blueprint for how the Province can grow Ontario’s world-renowned 1.8 million acre Greenbelt, to increase the amount of farmland and natural spaces that are protected from urban sprawl.
“Expanding Ontario’s Greenbelt will help improve the sustainability of farming in the region, will help protect drinking water resources and assist in the fight against climate change. I was pleased when, in December, the Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, stated that he wanted advice on how to expand the Greenbelt. This report responds to that request and sets out a path for success,” said David Crombie, former Chair of the Greenbelt Council.
The report outlines five requirements the provincial government must follow to ensure that Greenbelt expansion improves the environmental and financial health of Ontarians:
Retain all lands currently protected within the Greenbelt
Build on the science and public consultation carried out during the recent boundary expansion review
Simultaneously address public health, local food security, water security, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and economic prosperity
Acknowledge that there is more than enough land available to both expand the Greenbelt and build complete communities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe
Consult meaningfully with Indigenous communities
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear how crucial the forests, wetlands, river valleys and farmland all around us are to our continued well-being and to maintaining our health,” said Anne Golden, former Chair, Ryerson City Building Institute. “Bringing more land under the legal protection of the Greenbelt is the best tool to protect these precious spaces.”
“Our report outlines the steps the provincial government needs to take to protect the lands and waters that sustain us and create an equitable, prosperous future for people living in the most heavily populated region of the province,” said Dr. Anne Bell of Ontario Nature.
“This report responds to Minister Clark’s request for advice on how to grow the Greenbelt. We now look forward to meeting with, and working with, the Minister to turn this report into action,” said Tim Gray, Executive Director, Environmental Defence.
Read the full report here <https://d36rd3gki5z3d3.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ExpandingOntariosGreenbelt_FinalFeb2021.pdf>.
About ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (www.environmentaldefence.ca <https://www.environmentaldefence.ca/>): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
About ONTARIO NATURE (www.ontarionature.org <http://www.ontarionature.org/>): Ontario Nature is a charitable conservation organization that protects wild species and wild spaces across Ontario through conservation, education and public engagement.
– 30 –
For more information and to arrange an interview, contact:
Allen Braude, Environmental Defence, abraude at environmentaldefence.ca <mailto:abraude at environmentaldefence.ca>
John Hassell, Ontario Nature, johnh at ontarionature.org <mailto:johnh at ontaiornature.org>
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Minister Steve Clark Media Release:
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Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition Press Release:
From: Margaret Prophet <margaret at simcoecountygreenbelt.ca <mailto:margaret at simcoecountygreenbelt.ca>>
Date: Wed, Feb 17, 2021 at 12:02 PM
Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Simcoe County Needs to be Included in Greenbelt Expansion Proposal
To: Margaret Prophet <margaret at simcoecountygreenbelt.ca <mailto:margaret at simcoecountygreenbelt.ca>>
Statement on Province’s Consultation to Expand the Greenbelt
February 17, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Steve Clark, Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing, announced this morning that the province is opening a consultation about Greenbelt expansion <https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-3136>. Specifically, it was suggested that the Greenbelt be grown over Urban River Valleys and to protect the Paris-Galt Moraine.
The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition and allies across the region and province have strongly advocated for the expansion of the Greenbelt since 2017. In fact, over 90 groups including prominent individuals such as David Crombie released a report <https://simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/press-release-growing-the-greenbelt/> earlier today which outlines five requirements the provincial government must follow to ensure that Greenbelt expansion improves the environmental and financial health of Ontarians:
Retain all lands currently protected within the Greenbelt;
Build on the science and public consultation carried out during the recent boundary expansion review;
Simultaneously address public health, local food security, water security, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and economic prosperity;
Acknowledge that there is more than enough land available to both expand the Greenbelt and build complete communities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe;
Consult meaningfully with Indigenous communities.
While we are encouraged that the province did not take out lands of the existing Greenbelt and is focused on protection of water, Simcoe County has been left out of the discussion at a time when our natural environment and water are increasingly under threat from sprawl and expansion of aggregate operations - two industries that are strongly limited under Greenbelt policies.
Margaret Prophet, Executive Director of the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition says, “In early 2018, we participated in the province’s consultation to expand the Greenbelt into Simcoe County. It was clear then that our aquifers, forests, shorelines and wetlands needed to be off limits to sprawl and aggregate.
At that time, the province agreed and proposed expansion plans which were ambitious for this area.
Three years later, the only thing that has changed is that the threats have increased as policies that protect our natural spaces from sprawl and protections for endangered species have weakened considerably.
We have seen development applications threaten provincially significant wetlands, floodplains, pristine forests all while our local lakes and rivers become increasingly sick.
We have reports from local Conservation Authorities that predict with a changing climate, we may see sources of water run dry and may not be able to keep up with current demand.
So if this government is truly serious about protecting Ontarians it is time to be genuine with that and ambitiously expand the Greenbelt to stop greed from threatening our water supply with overzealous sprawl.”
The message to the government is clear: our water and environment is a shared heritage and should not be sacrificed to benefit a few; water is core to our identity as Ontarians; the Greenbelt has been successful in protecting landscapes and water for over 15 years; and people care about their communities and want to see them succeed in a way that ensures they continue to be healthy and vibrant into the future. We feel that includes expanding the Greenbelt over landscapes that provide drinking water and help us adapt to climate change.
We look forward to continuing to build a better Simcoe County and working with the government to recognize that if they are true to protecting Ontarians into the future, their Greenbelt expansion needs to grow accordingly.
-30-
About the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition: www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca <http://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/>: The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition is a diverse coalition of 40 organizations from across Simcoe County and the province calling on local and provincial leaders to better protect our water resources, green spaces and farmland through smart growth and sustainable policies including expansion of the Greenbelt into Simcoe County.
For media inquiries please contact: Margaret Prophet, Executive Director, SCGC
705-718-1383 email: margaret at simcoecountygreenbelt.ca <mailto:margaret at simcoecountygreenbelt.ca>
Margaret Prophet
Executive Director, Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition
www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca <http://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/>
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead
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Kevin Thomason
1115 Cedar Grove Road
Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2J 3Z4
Phone: (519) 888-0519
Mobile Phone/WhatsApp: (519) 240-1648
Twitter: @kthomason
E-mail: kevinthomason at mac.com
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