Planner sees red, should be seeing green

Editor:

With reference to a recent article March 9, township head planner sees red on Greenbelt expansion I found it surprising that she was compelled to write to the province to ask if it was really necessary for the Greenbelt Plan.

The greenbelt is absolutely necessary to preserve the rapidly diminishing resource of precious, prime farmland we in Clearview are so fortunate to have. Across Ontario, farmland is being eliminated at an alarming rate, which begs the question, where will our food come from in the future?

The other issue raised by the planner was dealing with the pressures and complexity of legislation regulations and aggressive developers. A greenbelt would mean all the planner’s work is done in advance and zoning is black and white so no more conflicts or OMB appeals. Our water and best farmland is protected ahead of time.

It is estimated that 3 plus million Boomers in Ontario are in the process of retiring over the next 15 years. The impact to Clearview will be a steady stream of ‘seniors’ moving to smaller towns and country life, away from Toronto and the GTA.

Let’s not go where Brampton and Mississauga have gone… where every conceivable square meter of land has been consumed by development. To answer the planner’s question, it is definitely necessary for a Greenbelt Plan!

Jeremy Ray,

Creemore.