Say No to More Sprawl, Less Nature and Less Farmland

In dogged pursuit of its growth at all costs agenda, the Government of Ontario is paving the way for more sprawl development across the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), which is home to more than 55 percent of Ontarians. Proposed changes to the Growth Plan will expose more natural areas, productive farmland and endangered species habitat to the bulldozers in a region stretching almost 32,000 km2 from Niagara to Simcoe and Peterborough counties.

The Growth Plan was established in 2006 to better manage growth across the GGH, one of the fastest growing regions in North America. The Plan recognized the ...

In dogged pursuit of its growth at all costs agenda, the Government of Ontario is paving the way for more sprawl development across the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), which is home to more than 55 percent of Ontarians. Proposed changes to the Growth Plan will expose more natural areas, productive farmland and endangered species habitat to the bulldozers in a region stretching almost 32,000 km2 from Niagara to Simcoe and Peterborough counties.

The Growth Plan was established in 2006 to better manage growth across the GGH, one of the fastest growing regions in North America. The Plan recognized the fundamental link among quality of life, economic prosperity, a vibrant agricultural land base and the ecological integrity of the region. After extensive public consultation, the plan was amended in 2017 to include, among other changes, a regional Natural Heritage System offering a higher level of protection for key hydrologic features and natural areas.

Now the government is abandoning this higher level of protection. It intends to allow aggregate pits and quarries to be sited in the habitat of threatened and endangered species throughout the new Natural Heritage System.

Other proposed amendments would increase the amount of land available for development through higher population and employment forecasts. Striking a blow to coordinated, regional planning, the changes would also allow individual municipalities to exceed these higher forecasts when assessing land needs – again, so that land development opportunities can be maximized at the behest of influential developers.

All in all, the amendments are a recipe for continued loss of biodiversity and farmland, increased gridlock, and higher carbon emissions.

Please join Ontario Nature in opposing the proposed amendments. The consultation period ends on July 31st.

Note – for greater impact, you can adapt the following letter and send a personalized submission to Director Sandra Bickford [email protected] at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Be sure to copy Minister Steve Clark [email protected] and include ERO# 019-1680.

Photo © Yoko Chiyoko CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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Oppose the proposed amendments to Ontario's Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe

3,121 emails sent

Minister Steve Clark, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, [email protected]
Sandra Bickford, Ontario Growth Secretariat Director (Acting), [email protected]
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Subject:

Dear Minister Clark,
CC: Sandra Bickford, Ontario Growth Secretariat Director

Re. ERO# 019-1680

I strongly oppose amendments to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe that would allow aggregate pits and quarries to be sited in the habitat of threatened and endangered species within the region’s Natural Heritage System. These activities should remain prohibited to protect Ontario’s most vulnerable plants and animals.

I also oppose changes to population and employment forecasts that would increase the amount of land available for development and would allow municipalities to exceed these forecasts. These changes would exacerbate the ongoing loss of natural areas and farmland, and increase our vulnerability to climate change.

As Ontario recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, we need policies that will enhance environmental health and our resilience to climate change, not policies like those proposed that will lead to more sprawl while lining the pockets of powerful developers.

I urge you not to proceed with the proposed amendments.

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