Created in 2005, the Ontario Greenbelt – the largest Greenbelt in the world - consists of two million acres of productive farm land and environmentally sensitive areas that have been permanently protected from development. It’s also a massive water and air filter, a sustainable food supply, a nine billion dollar annual economic and job creating powerhouse, and the provinces most popular environmental initiative.

The Greenbelt plays a significant role in helping protect both natural and human systems from climate change by limiting the amount of environmental stress that urban development and human activities can cause. However, less than two decades after it’s formation, the Ontario Greenbelt is threatened by the same forces it was designed to mitigate – urban sprawl, infrastructure development, and the imminent threat of climate change. Furthermore, recent proposed legislation, such as Bill 66, would give municipalities the ability to re-designate protected lands for development. Despite strong public support for the initiative in York Region, a lack of government commitment to permanently protecting these environmentally sensitive lands could be detrimental to the health of both natural and human systems.

This petition is calling for the City of Vaughan to cease the development of protected greenspace/ conservation land and be more transparent about future urban planning projects. Together we can show local governments that their residents genuinely  demand change and wish to protect the fragile ecology of these lands and preserve its acres of possibility for generations to come!