My question is for the Premier.

There are 200,000 acres of greenfield land already approved for development in the greater Golden Horseshoe. Planners have shown that there are 1.4 million homes currently approved, in process or under construction and enough approved development land to build two million homes. It’s clear that the only greenbelt scam is the government’s scheme to pave over the farmland that feeds us and contributes $50 billion to our food and farming economy, and the wetlands that protect us from flooding and clean our drinking water.

Instead of attacking the greenbelt, let’s work together to remove the barriers to build homes in communities that people can afford, close to where they work. The Premier has a chance to support the farm economy and to make life affordable if he keeps his greenbelt promise. Will he keep that promise today?

If the Premier wants to work with me to build more homes, let’s actually pass my Bills 44 and 45, which would get rid of exclusionary zoning so we can actually build homes that people can afford in the communities they want to live in.

The government has an opportunity today to help people and municipalities save money, to defend our farm economy and to build affordable homes that people want to live in, in affordable communities close to where they work, if the government agrees to stop their expensive sprawl agenda and protect the greenbelt.

Will the Premier keep his promise today and promise to protect the greenbelt?

I want to thank my constituents who’ve been collecting these petitions at the Guelph Farmers’ Market. It’s a petition to protect the greenbelt.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Premier has persistently promised over the past four years not to develop the greenbelt; and

“Whereas the Premier has plans to build the Highway 413 that would pave over 400 acres of the greenbelt, and over 2,000 acres of class 1 and class 2 farmland; and

“Whereas the government refuses to repeal Bill 23 and halt their destructive pro-sprawl agenda; and

“Whereas the government now has plans to open up over 7,400 acres of the greenbelt to pro-sprawl developers;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately halt all plans to develop the greenbelt and commit to cancelling Highway 413, and to instead invest in livable and affordable communities connected by transit that protect the nature that protects us, the farmland that feeds us and mitigates climate pollution.”

I support this petition, will sign it and ask page Sophie to bring it to the table.

This petition is entitled “Protect the Greenbelt: Repeal Bill 23.” I want to thank the people from Kitchener and Elmira for collecting the signatures.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Bill 23 will remove protected land from the greenbelt, allowing wealthy developers to profit by bulldozing over 7,000 acres of farmland;

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

“Whereas Ontario loses” 319 “acres of farmland daily to development;

“Whereas the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force found there are plenty of places to build homes without destroying the greenbelt, showcasing that Bill 23 was never about housing but about making the rich richer;

“Whereas the power of conservation authorities will be taken away, weakening environmental protections, and preventing future development;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately repeal Bill 23, stop all plans to further remove protected land from the greenbelt....”

I fully support this petition, will affix my signature and give it to page Leonard.