Thank you very much, Speaker. It was good to see you this morning at the University of Waterloo breakfast reception. I just wanted to thank all my colleagues for attending. Vivek Goel was here with his research team, and they were highlighting the importance of commercializing research for our economy and our health care system. It was an amazing event.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It’s my pleasure to introduce this petition for the first time in Ontario’s Legislature. It’s entitled “Say No to Urban Sprawl in Waterloo Region.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario,

“Whereas the government is overriding and rewriting local official plans to move urban boundaries and violate the countryside line by opening up previously protected lands to development;

“Whereas green spaces and farmland are what we rely on to grow our food, support natural habitats, prevent flooding, and mitigate future climate incidents;

“Whereas the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force found there are plenty of places to build homes without destroying the greenbelt, and a recent report from the Alliance for a Liveable Ontario says Waterloo region has the capacity to build 230,000 new housing units within the current area boundary;

“Whereas there is a lack of comprehensive research or analysis on the aquifer in Waterloo region and how unanticipated” growth and “sprawl will affect source water protection;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately stop all plans to force sprawl in Waterloo region by reversing the recently announced changes to the regional official plan amendment.”

It is my pleasure to present this petition. I fully support it, will affix my signature and give it to page Maya.