The government has released draft criteria that it may use to consider requests from regional, county and single-tier municipalities to grow the Greenbelt. This is an opportunity to make the Greenbelt bigger by further protecting countryside areas beyond the existing Greenbelt. Requests to reduce the size of the Greenbelt or remove areas from it would not be considered.
The criteria are available online at www.greenbelt.ontario.ca.
The Greenbelt
Created in February 2005, the Greenbelt is 1.8 million acres of land stretching from the Niagara Peninsula in the southwest to Rice Lake in the east, including the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Greenbelt permanently protects environmentally sensitive and agricultural lands from development.
The Greenbelt permanently protects some of Ontario’s most valuable green spaces, farmland, forests, wetlands and watersheds.
It is an important element of the government’s plan to tackle gridlock, contain sprawl and preserve greenspace.
Protecting greenspace and ensuring our communities “Grow Green,” is an important part of our aggressive and integrated approach to tackling climate change in Ontario. By curbing urban sprawl and offering local foods, the Greenbelt helps reduce greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions.
Building the Greenbelt
The process of building the Greenbelt in 2004-2005 involved extensive consultation and collaboration between the Province and its partners. The Greenbelt Task Force, an advisory group that conducted public meetings, led the process. Its recommendations to the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in August 2004 were the foundation of the Greenbelt Plan.
The Greenbelt Area was determined, in part, by identifying a natural heritage system and defining an agricultural system. A systems approach considers that the health of plants, animals–including people–and natural features are related and connected to each other and to our own well-being. Together, these components form the Greenbelt’s protected countryside.
The provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe was developed at the same time as the Greenbelt Plan to ensure that the needs of growing communities were met. The Growth Plan provides direction on where and how to grow and protect what is valuable to a community.
The Greenbelt Act
The Greenbelt Act, 2005 calls for a ten year review of the Greenbelt Plan to assess its effectiveness and make changes, as necessary. This consultation process on draft criteria does not impact the ten year review planned for 2015.
Draft Criteria
Ontarians are invited to review the draft criteria and send their comments to:
Greenbelt Expansions
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
14th Floor, 777 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M5G 2E5
Fax: 416-585-4245
Email: greenbelt@ontario.ca
Comments must be received by April 30, 2008.
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Contacts:
Adam Grachnik
Minister Watson’s Office
416 585-6492
Audrey Bennett
Provincial Planning Policy Branch
416-585-6014