'We want hands off the Greenbelt': Protestors in Cambridge rally against Bill 23
'We want hands off the Greenbelt': Protestors in Cambridge rally against Bill 23
Protesters in Cambridge joined others across the province Saturday in an effort to push back against provisions in Ontario’s new housing plan which will remove sections of protected land from the Greenbelt to build homes.
“We want hands off the Greenbelt,” Jenna Quinn with Waterloo Region Nature Club said. “The Greenbelt is set aside for a specific reason and we want to make sure it stays that way.”
The Ford government is proposing to remove 15 different areas, totalling around 7,400 acres from the Greenbelt.
The province's 30-day consultation period wraps up at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 4. Once it has closed, the government will decide on how to proceed with removing or redesignating the 15 areas of land.
A spokesperson for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing said the government plans to add additional lands to the Greenbelt elsewhere and there is clear criteria in the bill to ensure a 2,000 acre expansion could be achieved.
“It is the government’s expectation that should these lands be removed from the Greenbelt, construction of these new homes will begin on these lands by no later than 2025, and that significant progress on approvals and implementation be achieved by the end of 2023. Proponents would still be required to get the necessary approvals to ensure adequate environment protection before any construction could begin,” government spokesperson Chris Poulos said in an emailed statement.
A map provided by the Ontario government shows what areas of the greenbelt will be removed and added.
Critics of the plan say while new land is being added to offset Greenbelt losses, development in the protected areas will irrevocably harm the environment communities rely on.
“We're in a dual crisis right now around the globe – biodiversity loss and climate change. And we need to do everything that we can to make sure that we have a safe planet for future generations,” Quinn said.
Another demonstrator, Kaie Elgie said she’s keeping her family in mind as activists promise to keep fighting the plan to carve up the Greenbelt.
“I care about the environment we are leaving for my grandchildren so I will be back,” Elgie said.
More rallies are planned in several communities in the region Sunday including in Guelph at 11 a.m. and Elora at 1 p.m. Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner will be in attendance at both.
On CTVNews.ca and YouTube: Health journalist Avis Favaro joins our Trend Line podcast, for an in-depth episode dedicated to the growing crises facing the Canadian health-care system.
Police have released a video of a driver who smashed a vehicle through the doors of Vaughan, Ont. mall early Wednesday before allegedly breaking into an electronics store.
The federal government is expected to introduce a law as early as Thursday to delay the extension of medically assisted dying eligibility to people whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.
Gillian Burnett was almost finished her work day on Jan. 24 when she received a terrifying call about her young son. Waylon, 20-months-old, was found submerged in an outdoor pool at a home daycare near Petrolia, Ont.
As the City of Barrie prepares for extreme cold to move through the area later this week, local shelters are working on expanding space for those in need.
A problem at the Espanola Water Treatment Plant allowed improperly treated water to enter the system Tuesday night, exposing residents to possible illness.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
While crews have resumed operations in an attempt to open the Rideau Canal Skateway for its 53rd season, an NCC spokesperson tells CTV News Ottawa the canal will not open in time for the first weekend of Winterlude on Friday.
Two weeks before Valentine's Day, OpenTable has released a list of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2023, based on more than one million reviews by OpenTable diners.
A private high school west of Montreal is promising to make changes, following allegations that administrators for years ignored complaints about racist bullying targeting two Black students.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
More than eight years after announcing the program, the Nova Scotia government has a signed a $365-million, 10-year deal with a health technology company to digitize patients' medical records, Health Minister Michelle Thompson said Wednesday.
As the temperature started to drop in the province over the weekend, many Manitobans were cranking up their home heaters, according to numbers from Manitoba Hydro.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Calgarians considering celebrating Valentine's Day with a meal at a local eatery have plenty to choose from, including nine named among the most romantic in Canada.
A second key player of Alberta's last government revealed their landing spot on Wednesday: former premier Jason Kenney is joining Bennett Jones' Calgary office.
A second key player of Alberta's last government revealed their landing spot on Wednesday: former premier Jason Kenney is joining Bennett Jones' Calgary office.
A B.C. man who stabbed his wife in the back was acquitted of aggravated assault after a judge found he was likely to have been "effectively asleep" at the time.
A map provided by the Ontario government shows what areas of the greenbelt will be removed and added.
