Ontario’s Greenbelt protects what communities need to thrive: clean water, local food, farmland, natural heritage, rural communities, responsible growth, and a more climate-resilient future. Because these shared foundations do not stop at municipal boundaries; communities within, beside, and beyond the Greenbelt all have a stake in protecting them.
If elected to municipal office, I pledge to support local decisions and policies that protect and strengthen farmland, water systems, natural heritage, and complete communities. And, where Greenbelt policies apply, I will uphold the Greenbelt legacy and the values, vision, and objectives reflected in Ontario’s Greenbelt Act and Greenbelt Plan, including the protection of the Greenbelt as a connected system that includes the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment.
This commitment is grounded in the Greenbelt’s proven public benefits:
- Water: The Greenbelt provides clean drinking water for over 7 million Ontarians.
- Economy: Greenbelt-connected economic activity contributes $17 billion to Ontario’s GDP and supports more than 247,000 full-time jobs.
- Farms and food: The Greenbelt protects 750,000 acres of some of Canada’s most productive farmland and is home to more than 4,000 operating farms.
- Climate and resilience: The Greenbelt’s natural systems provide nearly three times more ecological benefit per hectare than the rest of Ontario, meaning these protected landscapes are among Ontario’s most effective natural assets for reducing flood risk, absorbing carbon, protecting water, and strengthening climate resilience.
- Biodiversity: The Greenbelt is home to 121 species at risk, representing 42% of all species at risk in Ontario.
- Recreation and tourism: The Greenbelt supports trails, cycling routes, river corridors, green spaces, rural destinations, local food, tourism, and recreation.
