Federal government must take action to protect Greenbelt species at risk

July 4, 2023

GUELPH — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to the release of documents prepared for the federal environment minister Steven Guilbeault showing that 29 species at risk live, or are likely to live, on Greenbelt lands now slated for development.

“It’s extremely concerning to learn that the Ford government is still set on ploughing ahead with their Greenbelt giveaway despite evidence that dozens of species at risk call those lands home.

I am glad to hear that the federal environment minister has been made aware of the threat to the 29 species living on previously protected lands, and I hope he will take swift action to stop Ford’s environmental wrecking ball in its tracks.

Ontario’s Greenbelt – all of it – is ours to protect. And there is so much worth protecting.

Dozens of threatened or endangered species and their ecologically sensitive habitats.

Wetlands that clean our drinking water and soak up stormwater runoff, protecting us from floods.

Some of the best farmland in the world, a key contributor to Ontario’s agricultural and economic prosperity.

You can’t just pick up a parcel of protected land and move it hundreds of kilometres away.

The Ford government should know this – especially given the tens of thousands of comments they received from environmental and housing experts, municipalities, Indigenous communities and members of the public strongly opposing their Greenbelt sell-off.

The housing crisis is not caused by a shortage of land. End of story. Ford’s Greenbelt scheme will make the housing crisis worse.

We need cooperation from all levels of government to protect the Greenbelt in its entirety – for present and future generations – and to deliver solutions that will build affordable homes in communities where people want to live.

I hope minister Guilbeault will use all the tools available to him to prevent any further destruction to Ontario’s Greenbelt.”

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