Make your voice heard at Queen’s Park!

Urban Sprawl is the most critical environmental problem currently facing Greater Golden Horseshoe outside of Toronto. The proliferation of low-density, automobile-oriented development over the past forty years has transformed Toronto into a vast urban region, stretching from Niagara to Clarington, from Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe. In the process, much of southern Ontario’s greenspace and agricultural land has been paved over, or severely degraded.

In February 2005, the Ontario government passed The Greenbelt Act (Bill 135). While Earthroots is pleased that, after decades of inaction, the Province has finally taken some initiative to stem the tide of endless development, we feel that the Greenbelt Plan is a good first step but now needs to go further to fully address the realities of growth management in the GTA.

The borders of the Greenbelt are, approximately, the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment. Given that these natural features are well relatively close to Toronto, Bill 135 will do very little to curb sprawl. Fast growing areas such as South Simcoe (especially the area surrounding Barrie), Kitchener-Waterloo, and Wellington are not currently included within the Greenbelt. Earthroots feels that this omission will unintentionally promote ‘leapfrog’ development into areas just outside of the boundaries. Already, recently announced developments of unprecedented size in Bond Head and Alliston have shown that our concerns are warranted. We hope that the government will expand its plan through the Greenbelt Council, but it will take strong public support to achieve this goal.  

There are far too many loopholes and opportunities for development within the Greenbelt for Earthroots to fully support this legislation in its current form.  Earthroots is concerned that mineral aggregate (sand and gravel pits) operations are allowed to occur throughout the majority of the Greenbelt - even in areas that are designated as part of the ‘Natural Heritage System’.   

Infrastructure, including highways, sewer pipes, and hydro lines are allowed to cut through the entirety of the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt Plan states that the Mid Peninsula Highway and the 407 East Extension would be “...key, new transportation improvements”. These highways would, respectively, go through the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine, paving over precious greenspace and severing wildlife corridors in the process.

The majority of the Greenbelt is comprised of land deemed Protected Countryside. Unfortunately, this designation protects the GTA’s ever-shrinking greenspace from very little other than urban development. Golf courses, horseracing tracks and a variety of unspecified “…commercial, industrial, and institutional uses” are allowed within much of the region. Forestry and mining are also permissible activities within the lands designated as Protected Countryside.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs may, at any time, amend the Greenbelt Act to allow development on any portion of the Protected Countryside. This same loophole in the 2001 Oak Ridges Conservation Act allowed the massive 5,700 unit development project in the Richmond Hill portion of the Moraine in 2003.  The entire plan is only in force for ten years. After this period, the government of the day could extend urban boundaries onto any portion of the Greenbelt including the Oak Ridges Moraine or the Niagara Escarpment.

While Earthroots congratulates the government for taking this historic step towards protecting greenspace in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, we look forward to seeing what their next steps will be.

Take Action!  In the face of publicized and well-funded opposition to this legislation from pro-development lobby groups, Earthroots is concerned that the protections given under this plan could eventually be taken away by a Ministerial zoning order. We need you to write letters to Premier Dalton McGuinty (address below), and let him know that there are citizens in this province who not only support the principle of a Greenbelt, but also believe that the legislation needs to be strengthened. Tell him that The Greenbelt Act is a great step forward but must be improved to truly protect the Greater Golden Horseshoe’s remaining greenspaces.

Please tell the Premier that:

•  The Greenbelt must be expanded to include South Simcoe, Waterloo, and Wellington Counties.

•  The Greenbelt should exist in perpetuity and its boundaries made permanent.  

•  There should be a moratorium on new major highways through the Greenbelt.

•  Sand and gravel pits (in ecologically sensitive areas), forestry, highways and golf courses are not acceptable activities in a greenbelt.

Premier Dalton McGuinty

Whitney Block  

6th Floor - Room 6527

99 Wellesley St. West

Toronto, ON  M7A 1W1

Phone: 416-325-3903   Fax: 416-325-5599  

Ontario’s Greenbelt map – www.mah.gov.on.ca

Patrons: Stephanie Aykroyd, Robert Bateman, Dr. Robert McGhee, Farley Mowat   Directors: Clayton Ruby, Wayne Roberts, Hap Wilson  Advisors: Leslie Bisgould, Stephen Hurlbut, Peter Kelly, Barry Kent MacKay, Elizabeth May, Doug McRae,                     Dr. Peter Quinby, Rikk Salamat, Sharon Smith, Dr. John Theberge, Mary Theberg, Melissa Tkachyk, Phil Winters

Earthroots is a non-profit, grassroots environmental organization dedicated to protecting wilderness, wildlife and watersheds through research, education and action.  Founded in 1986, Earthroots has over 12,000 supporters throughout Canada.

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