Ontario Government is #GROWINGTHEGREENBELT

On February 17, Steve Clark, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, launched the #GrowingtheGreenbelt consultation. It focused on extending the use of the Urban River Valley (URV) designation beyond the current 21 rivers designated in the Greenbelt and extending the Greenbelt into the Paris Galt Moraine. The Minster indicated that this could be the largest expansion of the Greenbelt since it was created in 2005.

OHBA publicly supported the creation of the URV back in 2013, issuing a joint statement of support for the new Greenbelt designation with Environmental Defence. OHBA’s formal submission reiterated support for the URV and the proposal by the government to #GrowTheGreenbelt by designating additional urban river valleys to connect more urban centres to the Greenbelt.

Regarding the potential expansion of the Greenbelt designation into the Paris Galt Moraine, OHBA recommended that if the government planned to move forward it would require a focused boundary consultation that is science-based and includes technical mapping and ground-truthing to ensure that impacted stakeholders can have a fair process to determine the validity of the Greenbelt designation. These are important considerations, and OHBA reminded the government of past technical mapping errors that resulted in the previous government having to make 17 Greenbelt boundary adjustments because of the flawed process involved in creating the original Greenbelt.

Since June, Minister Clark has been announcing the government’s intention to include new areas and urban rivers to the Greenbelt. They include 360 hectares through the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority in Georgina’s North Gwillimbury Forest, adding 500 acres by including Darlington Provincial Park through the URV designation of Harmony and Farewell Creek, and by extending the URV from Fourteen Mile Creek all the away to Lake Ontario in Oakville, potentially adding an additional 120 acres to the Greenbelt.

During these announcements the Minster has also committed to adding two acres of protected and enhanced greenspace for every acre of land developed through the use of a Minister’s Zoning Order.

In the fall, the government intends to consult with the public and engage with Indigenous communities on maps showing land that could be added to the Greenbelt, including other urban river valleys and a draft of the Paris Galt Moraine boundary. #GrowingTheGreenbelt is a priority for the Ontario government. “I am proud to be part of a government that recognizes that there needs to be a responsible balance between managing growth with protecting the environment,” Minister Clark noted. “That is why we’re growing the Greenbelt. We’re growing it for our children, we’re growing it for our grandchildren, we’re growing it for everyone who comes after us. We’re so incredibly blessed to have such beautiful natural spaces in Ontario, and it is up to all of us to conserve our natural environment. For today, for tomorrow, and always.”