Whereas the Greenbelt Plan provides permanent protection for farmland and ecologically and hydrologically significant landscapes, working in tandem with Source Water Protection Plans and the Provincial Policy Statement to guide sustainable land use; and
Whereas the Greenbelt Plan is designed as an agricultural forward land use framework intended to permanently protect prime farmland, provide water security, reduce speculative pressure, and support Ontario's food security and rural economies; and
Whereas the Greenbelt functions as a living system of forests, wetlands, rivers and farmland that provides climate resilience by moderating floods, recharging groundwater, sequestering carbon, and sustaining biodiversity; and
Whereas municipalities face increasing pressure from growth, aggregate extraction and climate related risks, and require strong enforceable tools to protect water, farmland and natural systems for future generations; and
Whereas this Council serves as a steward for a land base of which more than 98% lies within the Greenbelt, encompassing the Oak Ridges Moraine, the headwaters of the Humber River and East and West Holland Rivers, prime agricultural lands, and a portion of the Holland Marsh Specialty Crop Area, which contribute significantly to Ontario’s food security and agricultural economy by producing some of the province’s most fertile and productive farmland; and
Whereas the Township’s ‘Our King’ Official Plan identifies four (4) pillars shaping the goals and objectives of the municipality, being environmental, economic, socio-cultural and financial; and
Whereas the 2015 coordinated land use planning review recommended expansion of the Greenbelt into key hydrological areas such as moraines and headwater systems to further safeguard water and ecological health; and
Whereas the Greenbelt Act, 2005 requires a review of the Greenbelt Plan at least every ten (10) years and the next mandatory review must begin in 2025, presenting a timely opportunity for municipalities to shape the future of protected lands and policies in Ontario; and
Whereas this review must be transparent, evidence-based, and subject to independent oversight to prevent the influence of political or private interests, with all mapping, data, and rationale made publicly available;
Now therefore be it resolved that:
- Council supports the review of the Greenbelt Plan’s existing boundaries and policies within and beyond King Township, while recognizing the need to both conform to Provincial policies, including the objectives of the Greenbelt Plan to provide water and food security and to achieve an appropriate balance of the four pillars of sustainability identified in the ‘Our King’ Official Plan (environmental, economic, socio-cultural and financial).
- Council calls on the Province of Ontario to collaborate with municipalities, Indigenous communities, and stakeholders to ensure that the lands of ecological, agricultural and hydrological significance are protected using best available science.
- Council requests that the Province of Ontario provide municipalities with the necessary legislative and regulatory tools to effectively implement the policies and objectives of the Greenbelt Plan, including but not limited to site plan control for residential development within the area of influence of key natural heritage and hydrological features.
- A copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Stephen Lecce, MPP, King-Vaughan, Caroline Mulroney, MPP, York-Simcoe, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), York Region, and all local municipalities in York Region.