Living in Kingston, the ecosystems of eastern Ontario are very important to us, and none more so than the Ottawa Greenbelt. It's made up of 20,000 hectares of farms, forests, wetlands, and other green spaces. It's the most ecologically diverse area in Eastern Ontario, and the largest publicly owned greenbelt in the world. The Greenbelt provides a variety of functions such as flood and drought mitigation, temperature regulation, and is a habitat to approximately 3,000 species.

The Greenbelt faces the imminent threat of habitat loss and fragmentation due to infrastructure development. Development is destructive to ecosystems by destroying habitats, severing natural corridors and endangering wildlife. If left unchecked, ongoing development projects threaten to irreparably damage this very important ecosystem.

Mer Bleue is the largest natural sector in the Greenbelt and it's the only sector capable of supporting self-sustaining populations of plants and animals. Within Mer Bleue, is the habitat of the endangered spotted turtle. This turtle is semi-aquatic meaning water is critical to their survival by helping them with thermoregulation. Any damage done to wetlands in the Greenbelt would threaten the survival of the spotted turtle. Habitat fragmentation and road mortality also pose a large threat to the turtle and this would only be increased as infrastructure development continues in the Greenbelt.

Infrastructure development occurs in three main ways: transportation, roads, and housing. These types of development are determined by three governing bodies. The city of Ottawa owns, operates, and maintains most of the streets and transit facilities, as well as determining where and how much housing is built. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) owns and operates the provincial highway system, including highway 417 that runs through the Greenbelt. The National Capital Commission (NCC) is a federal corporation that owns the Greenbelt and approves any work done on the land. While the NCC federally owns the Greenbelt, it is not federally protected by legislation. This is an issue because changes are able to occur without government oversight.

Concrete measures can and must be taken to prevent these outcomes. Firstly, local and provincial governments should conduct comprehensive environmental assessments before approving any development plans within the Greenbelt. Secondly, exploring alternative routes and transportation methods that minimize ecological impact should be prioritized. Furthermore, the implementation of wildlife corridors and protective passages can sustain and recover local biodiversity.

As students who are invested in the health of our ecosystems, we urge you to consider the long-term impacts of development and to prioritize ecological preservation.

Join us in urging the city of Ottawa, the MTO, and the NCC to take action. We want the Greenbelt to be federally protected and for greater consideration to be taken before infrastructure is built. By standing together, we can protect these vital habitats from becoming yet another casualty of unchecked progress.