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House Hansard - 153

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 3, 2023 10:00AM
  • Feb/3/23 11:06:20 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, over the last year, the conservation authority in my riding, Conservation Halton, has planted close to 80,000 trees. It has restored stream habitat; managed 11,000 acres of land; hired over 800 young people to work in nature; maintained 116 kilometres of trails; and monitored aquatic and terrestrial habitat, as well as water quality, at 325 monitoring stations. It has carried out 45 major environmental restoration projects and also protects Crawford Lake, which has rich indigenous history and one of the coolest meromictic lakes in the world. The over 1.3 million visitors to its eight parks last year spent three million hours in nature and walked over six million kilometres on its trails. It also taught more people ever to ski and camp, including programs for new Canadians. It donated over 400 annual park passes to local libraries, so anyone can borrow a pass and access its parks for free, and it also held its third annual Pride in Nature event to show solidarity with LGBTQ2+ community members, and so much more. Despite all that, conservation authorities in our greenbelt are being threatened by the notion that we just cannot build homes without destroying nature. I reject that notion. The integrity of our greenbelt must be protected. Green spaces are our greatest asset, and I am proud to recommit myself to being a strong and effective voice for conservation and the greenbelt in Milton and across Canada.
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