<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div id="div1703" class="act asset-mediaplayer" contenturl="/pagecontainer/1703/?mode=desktop&pskey=-5645850301404767549283733&acid=A9187702" cid="79" pcid="1703_1463" primary="false" lpos="asset-mediaplayer" loaded="true" done="div1703" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 711px; float: left;"><div class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div theme-2="" ui-attr="pgallery" class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); overflow: hidden;"><component id="gl1703" class="communities gallery" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 15px 20px;"><gallery function="media.gallery" class="media" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 671px; display: block; visibility: visible; opacity: 1;"><div class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><slider class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; width: 671px; display: block;"><slide ind="0" class="ac" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; width: 671px; height: 475px; text-align: center; z-index: 10;"><div class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 417px;"></div><text class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; padding: 8px 20px !important; white-space: normal !important; text-align: left !important;"><div class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 6px 0px 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Urban sprawl in Markham illustrates the kind of growth the Ontario government is supporting in new policies that roll back environmental protection regulations. - Tony Bock , Toronto Star </div></text></slide></slider></div></gallery></component></div></div></div><div id="div1785" class="asset-body-part1" loaded="true" lpos="asset-body-part1" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 711px; float: left;"><div article="" page="" text="" class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">For the last 30 years, governments as diverse as those headed by premiers Davis, Harris and Wynne have moved policy forward to create more livable cities, while still protecting farmland, nature and water supplies.</p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">These governments increasingly focused on slowing down urban sprawl by directing growth to existing urban areas, building more public transit and using data to project future housing and business development needs. The most recent iteration of the rules that guide this effort is found in the provincial Growth Plan. It is the "where and how" of city building.</p><p class="thirdPrg" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">New laws have also been enacted to protect farmland, forests, wetlands and water sources by putting areas off-limit to development. These sensitive areas include the Niagara Escarpment, Greenbelt, Lake Simcoe watershed, Source Water Protection areas and Endangered Species habitat. These are the "where not to develop" parts of the system.</p><div class="desktop-subscription-wall" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Unfortunately, Ontario's current government seems determined to unravel these critically important protected areas and planning rules to benefit developers who want to build sprawling subdivisions on farmland.</p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The Greenbelt and other protected lands were attacked first under the government's proposed Bill 66. That bill would have opened up Ontario's protected farmland, wetlands and natural areas to development by exempting certain development proposals from land protection laws. </p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Over the course of the six weeks after it was introduced, over 50,000 people and 15 municipalities sent letters opposing Bill 66. Thousands of lawn signs sprouted up around the province, billboards appeared in several communities, MPPs were called to account by their constituents, and a major farm organization called it a direct attack on farming. </p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">This massive public pressure led the Ontario government to reverse course and promise to remove this section of Bill 66 when the legislature returns.</p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">However, at the same time as they were promising not to develop the Greenbelt (again), the government announced plans to go after the Growth Plan, and is moving forward fast. </p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">In a nutshell, the proposed changes to the Growth Plan give preference to low-density sprawl development on farmland over the redevelopment and revitalization of our towns and cities. Urban boundaries will be allowed to expand into rural areas, without proper evaluation of need. Density requirements will be rolled back to early 1990 levels, allowing developers to build far-flung, car-dependent communities that will increase the region's already impossible gridlock. New public transit stations will be permitted in areas of low population instead of in mobility hubs that service large numbers of people. This is the return of the "GO station in a cornfield" model which encourages more sprawl, cars and highways.</p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The proposed changes to the Growth Plan are a giant step in the wrong direction, taking us back almost half a century to the age of unfettered sprawl development. What we need instead are: </p></div></div><div id="div1786" class="asset-body-part2" loaded="true" lpos="asset-body-part2" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 711px; float: left;"><div article="" page="" text="" class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">•denser, compact cities and towns with a mix of housing that people actually want and need (e.g. rental, row and townhouses, mainstreet condos, smaller homes for seniors and new buyers);</p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">•evidence-based planning decisions that include experts and citizen involvement; and,</p><p class="thirdPrg" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">•farmland and natural areas that are protected from arbitrary city boundary expansions.</p><div class="desktop-subscription-wall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans";"></div><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">In the long run, a return to sprawl-focused development will eat up the farmland and natural areas that surround our cities and towns. It will decrease our quality of life, increase our commute time, increase our property taxes and diminish the quality of our air, water and food. </p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">We can do much better than this. </p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; padding: 0px; font-family: "UniversLTStd Cn", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 1.1em; clear: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><i class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></i></p><i class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans";"><div class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tim Gray is the executive director of Environmental Defence</div></i></div></div></body></html>