Expanding Ontario’s Greenbelt would be an important tool in the fight against climate breakdown.
Many people know the Greenbelt as a place that protects farmland and preserves green spaces. To many it is seen as a last refuge of vast tracts of land that allow for recreational activities and local food production.
However, the Greenbelt, by preserving those lands, provides services to our communities essentially without charge.
These services, known as “ecosystem” services,” include water and air purification, flooding control and protecting habitat of threatened species. The Greenbelt’s ecosystem services are valued at $3.2 billion per year.
We simply cannot afford to replace what the Greenbelt does for free with man made solutions which are not as effective or efficient.
As climate change becomes increasingly severe, and our communities experience more flooding, more stress on our natural systems and extreme storm events as a result. We will need to think about solutions that are efficient, effective and improve the living conditions of human and natural communities. That is where an expanded Greenbelt comes in.
By limiting where development and aggregate extraction occurs, the Greenbelt policies ensure that two of our major GHG contributors (transportation and housing) are restricted while our natural systems are preserved and allowed to perform their functions uninhibited.
The more intact wetlands, forest systems, moraines and natural heritage systems we include in the Greenbelt, the more these ecosystems will be protected and can help us adapt and mitigate climate change.
In fact, the existing system of wetlands, farm fields and forests within the Greenbelt sequesters roughly $111.17 B of carbon dioxide.
Each year, the Greenbelt sequesters close to an additional $52 M of carbon dioxide.
Imagine how much more carbon dioxide we could sequester if we protected even more land.
With the advent of Minister Zoning Orders (MZOs) and weakened environmental policies, the natural systems and farmland we have outside of the Greenbelt is not guaranteed protection.
A report we commissioned with the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition found that only 14% of Simcoe County’s green space and water resources were strongly protected. However, the policy changes mentioned previously, put even that 14% at risk.
We know that Ontario and our region is slated to grow.
We also know that the places we love including Lake Simcoe and our forests and watersheds are declining in health.
Our farmland is being replaced with strip malls and urban sprawl at an increasing rate.
If trends continue and we easily offer up our wetlands, forests, farmland and shorelines for sprawl and “progress” what will be left?
The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition, with other organizations, is starting work to identify areas in Simcoe County that are in need of additional protections.
As a first step in this process, we are asking for your feedback. What areas do you think should receive additional protection, similar to what the Greenbelt provides?
Ontario’s identity is inextricably linked to its natural bounty, and in the Canadian context, along with thousands of lakes nestled in forests and the Canadian Shield, the Great Lakes and fertile farmlands of central and southern Ontario are unique.
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.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities for the “Gather for the Greenbelt” event in Barrie, Ontario, featuring in-person storytelling from Margaret Atwood, special guests Sarah Harmer, Jeff Monague, and poetry from Barrie’s Poet Laureate, Tyneisha Thomas.
Art installation by Rochelle Rubinstein will be featured, as well.
Join us for an in-person organizing session to advocate for protection of the Greenbelt.
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…
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.
Hi there!
Use this form to send Adam an email.
Make a choice for a better future.
Donating to SCGC means your impact is local, direct, and helps build better, more sustainable communities in central Ontario.
Friends. Online censorship by unaccountable tech companies, combined with an all-out assault on the Greenbelt by Ontario’s developers/government, make this a perilous time for the future of democracy and the power of the people in Ontario.
We need to build new ways of empowering those who believe in accountability, in a healthy environment, and in communities ready to thrive in the economy of tomorrow.
Join our supporter network and stay informed about efforts and actions to protect the Greenbelt, to build communities that support the health and well-being of people, and to lay the foundations of a resilient, climate friendly future.
