7400 Acres Removed from the Greenbelt?!

What is the Greenbelt?

The Greenbelt Act is a control that was designed to limit residential development outside of city centers, towns and hamlets. The goal was to increase density in the areas where there already are houses to prevent the suburban sprawl to continue its climb into Prime Agricultural Lands. The Greenbelt prevents subdivisions from being built where there is a large output of food growth. The Greenbelt Act completely locked down approximately 720,000 acres of land in Ontario.

Why Change It?

As the limits of density are beginning to be reached in some areas the outcry for more homes at any cost is getting louder. The Canadian Federal government has accepted 405,000 immigrants in 2021 and is aiming for 430,000 in 2022, with an additional 1.4 million over the next three years. With this influx of immigrants, (the largest rate in Canadian history) we are going to need a lot more housing. So these 7400 acres may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed to have affordable housing in Ontario, but it is a step in the right direction especially since they have redesignated more than the 7400 acres of land into the Greenbelt to replace these proposed areas.

What is Changing to the Greenbelt?

With the coming changes to the Greenbelt, some agricultural lands will be moved into development zones. The proposed 7400 Acre redesignation effort will more than likely have a small impact on the overall Greenbelt. The parcels that are being redesignated are in 12 locations spread around from York down to Grimsby. These proposed areas will allow an estimated 50,000 new homes to be built in the next 5-8 years as part of the 1.5 million house goal that the Ontario government has campaigned on. If you want to see the proposed areas that are being redesignated the link here to see the maps. If you have any questions regarding the status of your lands and what you can do with them click here to reach out to us!