The Year That Was: 2023

A look back at what we’ve done in 2023.

Our approach to our work has always been how we can make an impact in long-lasting and effective ways.  We hold ourselves to high standards — how can we create better rules, better systems and better communities? 

Internally, that means we reflect to ensure that we’re putting our values into practice. This year, we decided to adopt a different way to assess our impact. 

We can provide the “numbers”, but those traditional metrics don’t tell us anything about the health and longevity of our change making approach. 

A previous boss told me, “You measure what you care about.”  Hence, we chose categories that provide us opportunities to provide traditional metrics, but also, capture the things we care about that we believe are key to our long term success — our sustainability, our presence, our relationships, and our power.

We thank each of you for coming along this journey with us.  We look forward to the amazing things we can do together in 2024 and beyond.

Margaret.

Our Impact Metrics

  • Sustainability
  • Presence
  • Relationships
  • Power

Sustainability

Our Sustainability metric looks at how well our organization supports ourselves financially, emotionally and energetically, so we can be active long term and avoid collapse and burn out. 

We have three sustainability subcategories: financial, energetic and emotional.

Financial

In 2023, to support SCGC Financial sustainability, we:

  • Held a big fundraiser with Small Change Fund, Keep the Greenbelt Promise, and Gather, on October 28. This event featured Margaret Atwood, Sarah Harmer and other special guests, and raised more than $20,000;
  • Set up new processes to help fundraise with local groups, enabling more coordination of donations and less competition;
  • Devoted time to generate new and stronger relationships with funders, which should bear fruit in 2024;
  • Continue to develop alternative and diverse ways to fundraise, including merchandise promoting SCGC and watershed maps.

Energetic

In 2023, to support SCGC Energetic sustainability, we:

  • Invited our past members to renew their commitment and asked new members to officially join, within the development of a new (and still emergent) members services support program;
  • Launched in late October a new pilot program to help our member groups get some of the support they need via our new Member Services Coordinator;
  • Hired two student interns to support expansion of organization work capacity over the summer.

Our end of summer video, with our two student interns, Jules and Shaanthi. (Ben is behind the camera!)

Emotional

In 2023, to support SCGC Emotional sustainability:

  • Our Substack pieces in The Whale continue to address and share the feelings of being in activism;
  • Our Gathering Event and other social gatherings nourished connections, brought enjoyment to the community as a way to sustain hope and prevent burn out.

Presence

Our Presence metric looks at how well our organization has a clearly defined presence, one that is strong and notable and evident to others in the region and beyond. We have two subcategories under presence: media and community.

Media

In 2023, to support SCGC Media Presence, we had:

  • Strong media presence in Simcoe alone, with over 60 media mentions;
  • Presence on provincial and national media stage as well (TVO The Agenda Interview, investigative reports with Toronto Star, The Pointer, Narwhal and CTV National news);
  • Several Podcast guest appearances (Ballot Vox -Greenbelt, Ballot Vox- Enviro Concerns, What’s the Point), and Our Tree Planters podcast continues to explore important issues;
  • Continue to have strong social media presence on Instagram, YouTube etc.
  • We researched and provided media with stories that speak to public health, transparency and environmental concerns such as:
    • Through the Freedom of Information Act, we requested unpublished provincial documents showing the Bradford Bypass would be 8 lanes, not 4, as previously claimed by the government. Documents further underlined the fact that the concerns about water quality, climate change impacts, and air quality are not being taken seriously;
    • Created mapping and researched articles to summarize key issues for media that hadn’t yet been covered, including MZOs, air quality impacts of the Bradford Bypass and climate policy.

Community

In 2023, to support Community Presence:

  • Over a dozen guest speaker and moderator requests both locally and provincially, including at local rallies, local community groups and with provincial organizations such as Environmental Defence and Alliance for a Liveable Ontario;
  • Broadened and deepened our membership with local groups across the region, from Wasaga Beach to Bradford to Orillia to Midland and more, developing a more defined regional presence in all parts of Simcoe;
  • Deputed to various council meetings and a provincial committee, as well as provided Simcoe-specific feedback on public provincial processes that impact our water, sustainability, endangered species and climate;
  • Forged new partnerships with businesses in the area during our Margaret Atwood event.
  • Hosted two community organizers events (Springwater Park and Midhurst Church) to allow for casual, face to face interconnection and information sharing;
  • We created mapping on the air quality concerns around the Bypass and contacted local residents and businesses, alerting them to the impending health threats they could be facing;
  • Regularly contacted local MPPs to discuss critical issues such as Simcoe’s water supply, growth management, wetland policies and the Greenbelt.

Relationships

Our Relationship metric addresses the quality of a wide array of relationships, including governmental reps at all levels, our co-activists, the people working in our organization, member groups and volunteers, businesses in the area, and our accessibility and outreach to other and diverse groups.

Co-Activists

In 2023, to support SCGC Co-Activist Relationships, we:

  • Hosted Changemakers picnics in Springwater Park for a wide array of regional activists to socialize and meet other advocates;
  • Developed ongoing provincial activism connections including with Lead now, Environmental Defence, Ontario Nature, Reform Gravel Mining Coalition, Ontario Headwaters Institute, National Farmers Union-Ontario chapter, Ontario farmland trust, Keep the Greenbelt Promise, Alliance for a Liveable Ontario, and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment;
  • Provided support for co-activists across the region whether that be speaking at events, lending A/V equipment, connecting them with experts and/or resources or providing advice and support.

Volunteer & Work Relationships

To support SCGC Volunteer & Work Relationships, we:

  • Held weekly check ins with key volunteers and staff to support well-being and work flow;
  • Use Slack communication to ensure efficient communication with each other and keep track of projects;
  • Offered flexible, work from home schedules which allow staff and volunteers to flexibly address personal/work issues as they arise including work load, emotional overwhelm, the need to support family, provide self-care, activism exhaustion etc. (This means sometimes plans change, or stop. Expectations are discussed and modified. Accommodations are made.) As a Living Wage employer, we ensure all staff (including youth interns) are paid a living wage and above the living wage where possible;
  • Held regular board meetings and encouraged active board members to communicate with one another, with their local communities and engage in local issues;
  • Several volunteers supported our Margaret Atwood Gathering event, for which we provided very clear roles, support materials, opportunities to meet as a team, and clear communication channels so they felt supported in what they were doing (and they did a great job! THANK YOU);
  • Provided volunteers of the Gathering event an opportunity afterwards to reflect on the experience and provide feedback.

Members Relationships

To support SCGC Members Relationships, we:

  • Are creating member profile pages on our website to show the amazing work member groups do;
  • Support member group events with free use of SCGC A/V equipment and Zoom account;
  • Continue to hold regular member updates and meetings to ensure common understanding and share successes;
  • Starting to develop more member support services, more of which will emerge in 2024;
  • Hosted online, in-person and hybrid action meetings for member groups so attendees, from across the region, could share ideas and support one another’s actions and activities;
  • Providing an end of year survey to our members with opportunity to reflect and provide feedback;
  • Worked with local member groups to fight MZOs, protect the Oro Moraine and opaque decision-making;
  • Initiated letter writing campaigns with member groups to highlight key issues in local media.

Business, Local Leaders, Diverse Relationships

To support SCGC Businesses, Local Leaders & Diverse Relationships:

  • With the Gather event had the opportunity to meet and support a variety of local businesses, such as The Roost micro-winery, PIE Wood-fired Pizza Joint, Miski Brewing, Bacchus Wine Academy, KnightVision Creative Agency and Bass Lake Farms;
  • Indigenous leaders such as Heather McIntyre and Jeff Monague provided music and leadership to the Gather event;
  • Our 2 Youth Advocacy Interns built promotional materials and youth engagement strategies;
  • We co-hosted a webinar with CAPE on air quality concerns, what people can do and how they should advocate for clean air;
  • We improved accessibility to events by offering zoom or hybrid options;
  • Attended a regional Roundtable on Truth and Reconciliation gatherings led by local Indigenous Elders and Senator Gwen Boniface.

Government Relationships

To support Government Relationships, we:

  • Worked with federal staff and MPs to discuss housing, protection of endangered species and local water sources;
  • Met with councillors and staff from across Simcoe educating and encouraging action on affordable housing, stopping sprawl, protecting water sources and climate action;
  • Contacted and met with local MPPs and provincial staff to educate them on Greenbelt policies, weakening of endangered species protection, wetland importance, needed climate action and stopping sprawl;
  • Provided educational briefs, expert resources and educational webinars with subject-matter experts on housing, protecting water, preserving farmland, stopping sprawl and the dangers of MZOs.

Testimonial

My employers, Margaret and Adam, must be among the most genuine people I’ve met in my entire life. It is so evident that they are incredibly passionate about what they do, and through this internship, they truly want to spotlight youth. It was the first time I was treated as an equal in a professional position—that I was not just learning from them, but they were also willing to learn from me. They made it known that I had something unique to offer, and never was I met with such trust and honesty before then.

2023, Youth Intern, Julie Nguyen

Our Power

Our Power metric looks at how well we enacted the above metrics within our infrastructure, in a streamlined, efficient and strategic way, to enhance our overall vitality and impact.

Vitality and Impact

Our vitality & impact was demonstrated by:

  • Our coalition is the largest and most diverse it has ever been;
  • Played a central role in winning the Greenbelt reversals – all lands are being returned to the Greenbelt!
  • 10/18 local councils across Simcoe County have a majority of councillors who have signed our Sustainability pledge;
  • Our input is sought out by local media, local councillors, and grassroot organizations across the region;
  • We met our fundraising goals for 2023;
  • Active participant on committees for Keep the Greenbelt Promise, Alliance for a Liveable Ontario, Ontario Greenbelt Alliance, Yours to Protect, and Coalition of Ontario Watershed Guardians;
  • Board members and staff are actively engaged in a variety of issues across the region with local and provincial groups:
    • natural heritage protection;
    • aggregate reform;
    • sustainable development;
    • source water protection;
    • MZOs;
    • transparent governance;
    • Lake Simcoe;
    • municipal environmental committees;
    • climate mitigation and adaptation;
    • and, sustainable transportation.

Board member, Bob Bowles, attending a rally to protest land-takeouts from the Greenbelt.

  • Organizing and attending rallies across Simcoe County to fight against Greenbelt takeout (Simcoe County was one of the most active regions – AGAIN);
  • Distributing over 2000 leaflets, organizing phone zaps and holding a Greenbelt town hall aimed at putting pressure on local MPPs to reverse Greenbelt takeouts;
  • Working with City of Barrie councillors to restore affordable housing policies and environmental protections in their planning documents (Official Plan).

Strategic Infrastructure

We strengthened our strategic infrastructure by:

  • Regular communication between all facets of the organization via diverse modalities, supporting smooth flow of many different actions;
  • Enabling and leveraging the adaptability of key members to allow for versatility to address pressing issues and quickly pivot resources;
  • Enhancing access to diverse knowledge and skills internally to allow for a broad base of activities to occur;
  • Prioritizing our humanity and the quality of our relationships to each other across diverse sectors strengthens our regional bonds and empowers our communal actions;
  • Planning a variety of well paced, regularly scheduled events over the year supports the consistency of our sustainability;
  • Having board committees work on strategic initiatives to build network resilience, depth and knowledge;
  • Participate in regular strategy sessions with other provincial organizations to ensure there is cohesiveness between provincial campaigns and local efforts;
  • Foster rich connections to professional planners, lawyers, strategists and leaders to build a greater depth of understanding of pertinent issues and ensure that our work is rooted in effective strategy and knowledge;
  • Maintain strong connections with investigative media teams and editors with local and provincial news outlets, ensuring we can get key issues the attention they deserve.

In Conclusion

Overall we feel 2023 was our finest year yet, supporting our sustainability (financially, emotionally, energetically) during some drastic and dire times, while maintaining and expanding our presence across the region, and nourishing a wide array of relationships and old and new friendships.

These vital components, along with our well honed communication and adaptive leadership structure, our skilled Board and growing member and volunteer base, mean we stand strong at the close of 2023, and we enter 2024 ready to refine and elaborate on these metrics, to grow in our capacity, our power, our communal vitality, even more.

The Ford government has made a mess of planning. Now, municipal governments have a chance to correct some of that.

Our open letter on the reversal announced by this government to changes made to municipal official plans, outlining our concerns with a lack of accountability and transparency in how the Minister is proceeding.

The Greenbelt scandal is a symptom of a larger problem, of a trend towards a lack of accountability in democratic decision making.

Anyone who follows the news in Ontario will know that this government has been forced into a humiliating retreat in its attempt to give land from the Greenbelt to a select group of well-connected developers.

Screenshot of CBC's coverage of Ontario Premier Doug Ford announcing the reversal to Greenbelt land take-outs. Credit CBC.

This screenshot is from CBC’s coverage of Premier Ford’s announcement of the reversal of the Greenbelt land take-outs.

As you read through the rest of this piece, consider the theatre of this image, with the many MPPs arrayed behind the Premier, and the difference between that nod to collective accountability and the private message from the new Minister to mayors.

See more of CBC’s coverage here.

What is less well known is that another major policy reversal, with many parallels to the Greenbelt scandal, is currently underway, too. For many, this second reversal may be even more impactful than that which deals with the Greenbelt.

At around the same time that Greenbelt lands were being carved up, municipalities across Ontario were sending their Official Plan to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for approval.

Official Plans are the result of years of hard work. Town halls were held and public engagement portals established so that residents could be involved in the process, providing input into how their communities would be shaped over the coming years. Municipal staff, mayors, and councillors worked to incorporate this feedback, representing a dialogue between local government and citizens, into the plans, such that they reflected the priorities of communities they represent. And, finally, these plans were debated and passed by municipal councils, elected by and accountable to their constituents.

The process in Ontario is for these plans, passed by municipalities, to then be sent on to the Ministry for approval. This is in large part due to the role that the provincial government is meant to play in overseeing and coordinating regional planning. So, accordingly, plans were sent to the Ministry. Within short order, however, many of these plans were returned with lines crossed out, words replaced, and whole paragraphs added.

Official Plans Changed Unilaterally

In Hamilton, the Official Plan was changed so that thousands of hectares of farmland meant to remain off limits to development was, instead, opened up for development. (Ryan Amato, Chief of Staff to Minister Clarke and who was central to the Greenbelt scandal, was also involved with this decision.)

Closer to home, Barrie’s Official Plan was edited to water down requirements for affordable housing and increased density, among many other changes that developers wanted but hadn’t been included.

Often the changes made by the Ministry closely follow language used in requests for changes to the plan that were made by third parties, namely developers or their representatives.

Again, well connected developers had what seemed like a preferential connection to the Minister’s office that, in effect, placed their interests above that of the public. The result was the overriding of the processes of public engagement that helped to shape the Official Plans passed by municipalities. Voices of community members, as a consequence, were ignored and shut out.

This is a view of community ownership that sees it as belonging to developers, rather than those who live and work there.

Retreat, or Attempt to Do An End-Run

The retreat from these changes are likely an attempt to stem the deluge of negative responses to the government’s misleading of the public, to their preferential treatment of some of the province’s wealthiest individuals, and to their disregard for due processes and democratic accountability.

On the Ministry’s website, the announcement of the reversal states that they would “wind back provincial changes to official plans and official plan amendments”. In the statement there are two specific exceptions, namely, “in circumstances where construction has begun” or “where doing so would contravene existing provincial legislation and regulation”.

That’s what the Minister is telling the public.

What he’s telling mayors, privately, is very different.

The End-Run

In an email to mayors, recently leaked to Environment Defence, the Minister makes assurances that the province will accept, “changes that the municipality would like to see made to the official plan, based on the modifications that the province had previously made, and which you [the Mayor] support.” (Emphasis added.)

A clipping of the letter, which was leaked to Environmental Defence, that Minister Calandra sent privately to mayors, in which he indicates they may make unilateral changes to Official Plans.

Find the whole letter on Environmental Defence’s website, here.

As with the Greenbelt scandal, decision making authority is being removed from the processes previously established.

Public input and engagement is left out, due and deliberate process is left out, incorporating the expertise of staff is left out. Those with access to mayors, whether inside or outside of established channels, have the advantage.

The informality of this is exactly what characterised the process, or lack thereof, that led to the Greenbelt land take-outs – trips by MPPs and staff together with developers to Las Vegas, invitations to family weddings where manilla envelopes with instructions on which land parcels should be removed from the Greenbelt were passed between developers and members of the government, government members using personal phones and email for correspondence, which makes it difficult for records of communications to be obtained.

Why Due Process is Important, and Conclusion

It seems strange to have to say this, but necessary given the repeated actions of this government – due processes exist for a reason, which is that they are transparent, accountable, and as such provide outcomes that benefit all of society, not just a select few.

The Ministry has it right with its public statement – Official Plans should be reinstated as they were passed by municipal councils.

The Minister, however, does not have it right with his private message to mayors. Even with so-called “strong mayor” powers, mayors do not have the mandate to unilaterally change an Official Plan.

To that end, we are heartened that some mayors of affected communities, including Barrie’s, seem to have come out in favour of fully reinstating the Official Plan as it was developed through the established process.

This is important, we believe, to underline democratic principles of due process, including public participation and accountability.

It is also important as it reaffirms the mandate linked to the passage of the Official Plan, which was that of the previous council. Substantial changes to work done by past councils, or any other government for that matter, without using established processes, is an extremely problematic precedent to set.

We recognize that as time passes changes may be necessary, but this must be done using the processes in place. The Official Plan is updated every 5 years, and processes such as secondary plans can address changes outside of that timeframe. These processes include council, public engagement mechanisms, and ensure that any changes made remain accountable to the public.

Official Plans are among the most important components of planning and building our communities, the places where we live, play, and work. They deserve to be given the highest level of consideration, which includes the best possible process of deliberation.

Adam Ballah

Adam has worked with SCGC since, almost, its conception. He holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from York University, and is deeply interested (and concerned) with intersections between risk, vulnerability, and security when it comes to climate impacts.

Letter: The public deserves accountability for the Greenbelt scandel

Below is a letter, made available for publication in local outlets, addressed to local MPPs who supported this government’s land grabs in the Greenbelt.

August 29, 2023 - Simcoe County

Dear MPP Downey, MPP Dunlop and MPP Mulroney,

In December of 2022, you and your cabinet colleagues signed off on removal of 7400 acres of Greenbelt lands.

Thanks to a thorough investigation by the Auditor General the public now knows that the process that led to your approval of Greenbelt takeouts was “biased” and gave “preferential treatment” to a select few developers, some of whom also attended personal events held by their Premier’s family, as well as having been identified as friends by the Premier when asked by the Integrity Commissioner.

We also know that this land grab is likely to result in an increase in asset value for these developers of at least $8 billion.

Moreover, the report stated that environmental standards, if they stood in the way of lands being removed from the Greenbelt, were stripped out of the decision-making process.

The Auditor General also outlined that staff involved were deleting emails and using personal addresses to conduct government business. Deleting records related to government business is quite likely just as illegal now as it was during the gas plant scandal, for which a former chief of staff to the Premier was found guilty.

Now the RCMP is assessing whether it will investigate further and seek criminal charges.

As a coalition of over 45 groups from around Simcoe County, we, and we suspect the rest of your constituents, expect accountability for this betrayal of the public’s trust. Accordingly, we would like you to answer to the following:

  • Your vote to remove these lands went against public feedback submitted via the Environmental Registry, which showed overwhelming opposition to these takeouts. How do you justify this?
  • What did you know about the Greenbelt land grabs before you voted? Did you have knowledge of the process used, and/or of the landowners who would benefit?
  • Why did you support the Greenbelt land grabs when your own Housing Affordability Task Force and Regional Planning Commissioners of Ontario determined that there is more than enough land already available to accommodate future housing?
  • Now that you know the process was flawed, do you support the government’s stance to not reconsider the Greenbelt land removals – the 15th recommendation made by the Auditor General?
  • When in opposition, your party argued that cash for access events led to preferential treatment. Given the cash-for-access and preferential treatment likelihood found with the Greenbelt fiasco, and your own continued use of $1000 a ticket events, has your stance on this changed? If not, will you support legislation to end cash for access fundraising and will you commit to no longer host these types of events?


We believe the public is owed answers regarding these questions. We have already sent you an invitation to attend our Public Forum on the Greenbelt, happening September 12 at 7 pm at Grace United Church in Barrie, at which you can answer these questions.

The public has entrusted you with power to make good decisions on their behalf and we expect you to be accountable to that trust. We look forward to your response.

Related Content

Province Rushing Bradford Bypass

Highways are the gateway drug for sprawl and the Bypass is a perfect example.  Developers own over 3000 acres of land around this highway waiting for the greenlight to destroy more farmland and wetlands.

Read More »

Community supported, advocacy for a safe and secure future.

Governments have failed to act to protect our communities and the futures of our children and grandchildren, and they continue to treat our environment as if it’s incidental to life, rather than a foundation for it.

We need strong community organizations to fight for our future, now more than ever.

Please consider donating to support our work. It’s people like you who make us possible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

We send out a once-monthly newsletter full of information on what’s happening in Simcoe County and beyond, including information on how you can take action to protect the health of your community.

Media Statement: Auditor General on Greenbelt Take-Outs

Local MPPs complicit in $8.3 billion dollar Greenbelt land grab.

August 9, 2023 - Simcoe County

Local MPPs complicit in $8.3 billion dollar Greenbelt land grab

Today’s Auditor General report outlined that the Greenbelt land grabs were a “biased” exercise that gave “certain developers preferential treatment”. Not only were rules changed to allow certain developer lands to be included in the exercise, but environmental oversights were removed as well to ensure the process benefited a select few without any consideration for the integrity of the Greenbelt or the lands it protects.

Local MPPs, specifically Cabinet Ministers Doug Downey, Caroline Mulroney and Jill Dunlop and the rest of the Executive Council, signed off on these Greenbelt removals and this biased exercise, which will see the value of land taken out for developers balloon by at least $8.3 billion. Why did they support these takeouts?

The Premier, along with the rest of his government, have said that this land is needed to build the houses Ontario needs for future demand. The Auditor General refuted this claim, however, confirming what SCGC, along with other environmental organizations, have long said, which is that there was already enough land within urban boundaries. So again we ask, why did our local MPPs support these takeouts.

Do these MPPs and this government take Ontarians for dupes? How can we trust them with the care of our province when they are so clearly willing to lie to the public, to make backroom deals with their rich friends, to sell out to the highest bidder regardless of whether it benefits the rest of us? Beyond the Greenbelt, we’re seeing similar decisions by this government targeting health care and education.

We also see duplicity regarding the need for new highways, such as the Bradford Bypass, for which the government has so far refused to release traffic studies, which it’s exempted from a proper environmental assessment, and which it’s routed around a golf course owned by the father of one of its MPPs.

Based on the evidence that the Auditor General revealed today, it seems clear that this government places the need to take care of their rich friends well above looking after the public’s interest, fiscal responsibility and transparent, honest decision making. This is something that all MPPs need to be accountable for, including those representing ridings in Simcoe County.

There isn’t much that makes Ontarians angrier than elected representatives using government to benefit themselves and enrich their friends. And yet here we are. While people are struggling to make ends meet, an unnecessary, thoroughly biased process aimed at enriching a few was made a top priority. This government promotes itself publicly as “for the people” while behind closed doors it’s only the well connected that get the full benefit of the government’s help and power. We need no further evidence that this government is no longer trustworthy, from the top all the way to our local MPPs.

Related Content

Province Rushing Bradford Bypass

Highways are the gateway drug for sprawl and the Bypass is a perfect example.  Developers own over 3000 acres of land around this highway waiting for the greenlight to destroy more farmland and wetlands.

Read More »

Community supported, advocacy for a safe and secure future.

Governments have failed to act to protect our communities and the futures of our children and grandchildren, and they continue to treat our environment as if it’s incidental to life, rather than a foundation for it.

We need strong community organizations to fight for our future, now more than ever.

Please consider donating to support our work. It’s people like you who make us possible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

We send out a once-monthly newsletter full of information on what’s happening in Simcoe County and beyond, including information on how you can take action to protect the health of your community.

Press Release

In Simcoe County three of our local MPPs – MPP Dunlop, MPP Downey and MPP Mulroney – are directly responsible, as members of cabinet, for approving the Greenbelt takeouts.

March 21, 2023 - Simcoe County

Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition pleased with federal intervention on Greenbelt development

Barrie – Today, it was announced that the federal government will be doing studies on how development on the largest part of the province’s Greenbelt takeouts, the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve, will impact the Rouge National Park and other federal lands. This will likely delay the paving of the largest Greenbelt takeout and we thank the federal government for this intervention.

This is a good start at ensuring Ontario’s, and more specifically the Greater Toronto Area’s environment remains healthy and viable. The Greenbelt was created to be a legacy for our children and future generations, a safeguard for local food production and source water protection – not to be a land bank for well connected developers.

 

Infographic showing the benefits of Ontario's Greenbelt. Credit Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition.

Ontario’s Greenbelt provides billions of dollars worth of value each and every year. This value is directly experienced by millions in the Greater Toronto Golden Horseshoe Area, as well as indirectly by Ontarians elsewhere who visit and benefit from the economic benefits it accrues to the province.

Benefits from development within it, however, are far more narrowly distributed, going, by and large, to already wealthy individuals and their privately held companies.

The Greenbelt is, very much, a legacy to all Ontarians and future generations.

This is a significant win for the public who have been rallying, phoning, messaging and organizing showing their care for the Greenbelt is to be taken seriously, a public that has been completely shut out of this decision. (Comments on the Environmental Registry regarding changes to the Greenbelt were overwhelmingly opposed, but not a single change or modification to Greenbelt takeouts came as a result.)

Locally, our coalition hosted 15 rallies and actions in two weeks across many of Simcoe’s communities and supporters have been continuing to visit MPPs, phone representatives and write emails. Again, this is in line with sentiment across Ontario, with a public that feels betrayed by a government that promised it would not develop on the Greenbelt. In fact, a recent poll by EKOS, commissioned by the David Suzuki Foundation, found that 75% of residents across the GTA believe that the Greenbelt should be better protected – better protected, not less. And definitely not used as a piggy bank to enrich wealthy, connected developers.

Our coalition’s mission has always been to ensure clean air, clean water, and a liveable climate provide the foundation for accessible food and housing and a vibrant, dynamic, and sustainable economy. After all, without clean air, water, and a livable climate the rest simply won’t matter.

Our public servants need to be accountable for betraying public trust and making decisions that threaten our shared future.

Map showing locations of highways that the Ford government plans to build, and the impact they would have on the Greenbelt and on farmland. Credit Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition.

There are 3 highways in the pipeline for the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area of Ontario. All of them will significantly impact the Greenbelt, as well as prime farmland.

In Simcoe County three of our local MPPs – MPP Dunlop, MPP Downey and MPP Mulroney – are directly responsible, as members of cabinet, for approving the Greenbelt takeouts. And while all MPPs in caucus are accountable, these three, along with their cabinet colleagues, had the final say and final approval. The promise to not touch the Greenbelt was broken intentionally.

And what does this broken promise represent? Not pursuit of more affordable homes, which is how it’s being spun. Study after study makes it crystal clear that there is more than enough land already zoned to meet this demand. This is about exploiting a legitimate housing crisis to enrich a few.

Let’s make no mistake, this announcement is the result of public pressure and community organizing. We will keep pushing with our supporters to protect our communities and public health. Our hope is that this announcement will strengthen the will to hold this government accountable and return due process and decisions made in the public’s interest to the core of what elected office means.

Beyond political stripes, the majority of the public support the Greenbelt and what it provides to all of us, now and into the future. Our hope is that the MPPs that have influence and accountability will see that the decision to open up the Greenbelt to developers was wrongheaded and will take action to reverse their decision. This is what the public wants and as a public servant this is what they agreed to do.

Letter to the Editor

Freedom of Information requests obtained by the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition show that the province is not being upfront regarding the Bradford Bypass.

February 20, 2023 - Simcoe County

Letter to editor response to article “No timeline yet for controversial Bradford Bypass project.”

Can we stop pretending that the province doesn’t have answers about its controversial Bradford Bypass project and instead recognize the misinformation for what it is? In the article quoted, the journalist outlines that the project doesn’t have a timeline yet. That is simply not true. They have a timeline but chose not to share it.

Freedom of Information requests by the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition show that the province is working on a timeframe of completion no earlier than 2032. These are documents straight from the MTO. The timeframe was corroborated and reported in The Toronto Star and The Narwhal.

It is shameful that instead of answering council’s questions directly, MTO decided that they’d rather not outline that it could be at least a decade before this highway is ready for use, if it even comes.

To those of us who follow this closely, the misinformation and hiding of facts is par for the course. What else haven’t government officials and consultants been upfront about?

Well for starters, the cost.

Infographic showing how much the cost of the Bradford Bypass has ballooned, and what that money could be spent on instead. Credit Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition.

In its recent report of government expenditures, the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario notes that the government is vastly under-spending in a number of areas.

We believe that these areas, including health, education, and children’s services, are important and that they should be priorities.

The Auditor General reported that this 16 km highway could cost a staggering $2-4 billion – that’s according to MTO’s own calculations. That’s a whopping $125,000,000 per kilometer you and I will pay for the Bypass. That’s using the lower figure. Use the upper end of their estimates (when’s the last time large construction projects come in on budget?) and you get a figure of a quarter billion dollars, yes $250 million, per kilometer that taxpayers are on the hook for.

We have the internal documents that show the government knew of this new cost in 2021, prior to them ramming ahead with it. Even so, there was no effort to inform the public that the project’s price tag had ballooned at least 300 percent from the $800,000 estimate project staff and Minister Caroline Mulroney were touting.

This project is still almost a decade away before it’s completed. How much more of our tax dollars is this government going to waste on it?

What else have they not been upfront about?

The size of the highway.

We knew there was talk about potentially widening the highway to six lanes. But yet again this seems to be part of an effort to minimize impacts and mislead the public. We know that in fact this may be an eight lane highway – double the size.

This means double the loss of Greenbelt, double the loss of wetlands, double the air pollution and double the noise pollution. Again, this was corroborated and reported in the Toronto Star and Narwhal investigations.

Map showing locations of highways that the Ford government plans to build, and the impact they would have on the Greenbelt and on farmland. Credit Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition.

There are 3 highways in the pipeline for the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area of Ontario. All of them will significantly impact the Greenbelt, as well as prime farmland.

So instead of the headline making it sound like there’s no information available, let’s call it for what it is – misinformation,obstruction, and wasteful use of taxpayers money by this government. Because, like us, they know that in a time when people are wanting solutions – better healthcare and good use of public funds – communicating the truth of the matter would just expose this highway as another boondoggle – a gas plant scandal in our own backyard.

Auditor General Report Confirms that the Bradford Bypass is a Boondoggle

Media Statement

December 1, 2022 - Simcoe County

On November 30th, the Auditor General of Ontario – an independent officer of the legislature who is tasked with ensuring government spending and programs give Ontarians best value and efficiency – outlined the ballooning costs of the Bradford Bypass and how best practices were not being followed. We’ve been saying this all along.

Internal Ministry estimates show that the Bypass could cost as much as $4 billion dollars. This is a 400% increase from the original budget that the Minister of Transportation begrudgingly announced publicly in 2021 after we demanded transparency around costs of the project. We know from internal documents that the Ministry has known their estimate was a lowball since at least November 2021 and yet there has been no effort that we’ve seen to update municipal partners, local stakeholders or the public about this important piece of information.

The Auditor General also noted that at this point, the Ministry does not have the money to fulfil all of its highway promises. This begs the question of when this project will ever be fully delivered if a cash-strapped Ministry has to start making hard choices about which projects proceed. We have asked when this highway will be completed and ready for use, but again, the answers aren’t forthcoming.

The Bradford Bypass has been sold as a traffic solution. Worryingly, the Auditor General found that travel demand forecasts calculated by consultants are not verified by the Ministry or by independent experts. Despite internal reports that show the Bypass will be congested after construction and that congestion will worsen on highways 400 and 404, the province continues to intentionally mislead Ontarians using unverified traffic studies.

Let’s be clear – the Bradford Bypass was just the first step in opening up huge swaths of land for Greenbelt developers and more sprawl development. The studies they are now doing have been streamlined to a point of being meaningless while other important studies such as impacts to Lake Simcoe and climate are not being done. Protections for our wetlands and waterways have been all but gutted due to Bill 23. Another 7,400 acres from the Greenbelt is slated to be removed to allow speculators to further cash in. The vision that developers want for this region is coming into view and the expense of public health and public funds.

Altogether the province has produced a flimsy case for building this highway. The groups fighting the Bypass are asking for a transparent reconsideration of routes, including regional road improvements, that could reduce costs, provide congestion relief and lower environmental impacts. In all, this provides value for money for taxpayers. Further, we question spending $4 billion on a highway amid healthcare and education sector crises.

Lake Simcoe Watch recently released the results of a November 2022 Oraclepoll survey of which shows that public support for the Bradford Bypass highway (one-third of which traverses Greenbelt Protected Countryside) has fallen to a weak 20 per cent. The same survey shows that support for building homes on the Greenbelt is only 27 per cent.

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Aerial view of red fall leaves, a lake, and cottages on the shore. Photo by Derek Sutton on Unsplash

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