The third anniversary of the Greenbelt was celebrated in February 2008.  So what has happened over the last three years?  There are numerous examples of the government promoting the Greenbelt, including glossy guides informing the public about supporting local farmers, and signs dotting the highway that say ‘Now Entering the Greenbelt’.  Public knowledge of the Greenbelt has increased, as has the public's desire to support local agriculture.  And recently, on the Greenbelt’s third anniversary, the government announced they will be accepting applications from regional or municipal levels of government to expand the Greenbelt’s boundaries.  However, given that cash-strapped municipalities are so heavily reliant on developer fees, it seems highly unlikely that municipalities will be able to take a leadership role in expanding our Greenbelt.

For the timebeing the government's proposal to expand the Greenbelt may take the focus off how flawed the current legislation actually is.  Bulldozers continue to eradicate our greenspaces, water levels continue to decline in areas that have already been designated as protected, and yet the government is promoting this recent undertaking as a major achievement.

Expanding the Greenbelt is important however the priority should be ensuring that we have a more comprehensive, stronger Greenbelt that affords increased protection for watersheds and greenspaces.  Though environmentalists have been pushing the government to expand the Greenbelt for years, the provincial government needs to identify the key areas that are in critical need of being included in the Greenbelt.  The government’s unwillingness to adopt a leadership role in identifying the places most impacted by leapfrog development reflects the larger issue - that our government is still too reluctant to adopt a formative, influential role in land-use planning in Southern Ontario.

Housing

Earthroots’ involvement with a contentious development in Aurora (click here for more information) led to the disappointing discovery that our provincial government is not actually monitoring developments on the Oak Ridges Moraine.  Development applications that were filed prior to the passing of new protection for Greenbelt areas may still be allowed to proceed under old legislation.  Seeing contentious battles over business-as-usual developments that threaten "protected" areas on the Oak Ridges Moraine has raised similar concerns regarding what is happening on the ground in other Greenbelt areas.  We need a stronger commitment from our government to actually stand behind their legislation through monitoring and implementation efforts.

Just as concerning as the lack of monitoring in protected areas, are the inherent problems with leapfrog development happening in places just beyond the boundaries of the Greenbelt.  A prime example of this is Simcoe Country, where cookie-cutter developments are popping up at an exponential rate.   Because Simcoe County is such a rapidly growing area, the government needs to take on an active role in making sure the entire area is afforded better protection.  This should involve a stronger emphasis on preserving agricultural land, and accommodating growth in more sustainable ways.

The newly introduced Lake Simcoe Protection Act will potentially begin to address the toll urban sprawl is having on ecosystems, but since the details of the act have not been established, how effective the legislation will be still remains to be seen.  The new density targets set out for Southern Ontario in the Places To Grow Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe are a significant step towards having healthier, more livable communities (even though these targets are not nearly high enough).

Highways

As auto-centric urban sprawl is the largest driver of greenhouse gas emissions, one of the purposes of the Greenbelt was to create more livable communities, encourage transit, reduce sprawl, and decrease our dependence on the automobile.  But there is an inherent flaw within current Greenbelt legislation that contradicts this principle; highways are allowed to cut through Greenbelt boundaries.  There are a multitude of proposed highway expansions and new highway projects both within the Greenbelt, and just outside of its designated boundaries.  Highways have extremely detrimental impacts on sensitive ecological and hydrological features that are supposed to be protected by the Greenbelt.  Even more concerning is the fact that highways are the foundation for sprawl, encouraging low density car dependent development and long commutes through Greenbelt regions.

The reality about our current approach to highway expansion is that it is based on dated assumptions that do not account for the new issues posed by peak oil, rising gas prices, and a growing public demand for viable public transit alternatives.

Water

One of the inherent problems with the Greenbelt legislation is that golf courses are allowed within its boundaries.  According to a recent Earthroots study, there are thirty-five courses completely on the moraine, six courses partially on the moraine, and an additional twenty-eight courses within five km of the moraine.  Because golf courses require such huge amounts of groundwater, there presence within protected watersheds is a huge threat.  In particular, areas with high concentrations of golf courses are now suffering from significant water shortages largely due to unsustainable golf course practices.

In addition to the threats golf courses pose to water quantity, it should also be noted that they are exempt from our celebrated new pesticide by-law.  In fact, the use of dangerous pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and chemical fertilizers that golf courses typically use is only monitored by the courses themselves.  Permitting golf courses in areas that are hydrologically important or sensitive, indicates some serious flaws in our legislation.
Canada has roughly 20% of the world’s freshwater, and about 25% of the world's wetlands.  Considering that water shortages and water contamination are taking place on a global scale, wasting a resource as valuable as groundwater to facilitate an unnecessary number of golf courses within areas that are allegedly protected, is unacceptable and unsustainable.  Earthroots is calling on the government to institute a moratorium on golf courses in all Greenbelt areas.

Mining

Most Ontarians are shocked to learn that more than 75% of aggregates used in the Greenbelt area come from the Oak Ridges Moraine and Niagara Escarpment.  Considering that pit mines are rarely returned to their original condition, this fact is cause for concern.   According to Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller’s 2006/2007 report, “most operators are not conducting progressive or final rehabilitation as required.”
Equally concerning is that pits and quarries are allowed in the vast majority of the province, and the Greenbelt is no exception.  Aside from provincially significant wetlands, a few woodlands, and endangered species habitat, aggregate mining continues without restriction.  Every application for a new or expanded operation has been granted since the creation of the Niagara Escarpment plan in 1985.  The Ontario government needs to address the growing frustration amongst municipalities and concerned citizens, and prohibit aggregate operations from taking place in the Greenbelt.

For more information please contact Earthroots Campaigner Josh Garfinkel by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 416-599-0152 x15.

---