This government’s plan to build on the greenbelt is very alarming. In a letter I received from the federal Minister of Environment, Minister Guilbeault, concerning your actions on the greenbelt, he writes in part: “There are portions of Ontario’s greenbelt that contain critical habitat for species listed under the federal Species at Risk Act. Environment and Climate Change Canada officials have reached out the government of Ontario officials to ensure that the provincial and federal laws designed to support the identification, protection and mitigation of harm to species at risk and their habitats of concern are respected in the provincial approach to housing.”

So, my question is very simple, and I ask it on behalf of so many Ontarians who are very concerned with your government’s approach to housing: What steps are you actually taking to protect species at risk as you rush to pave over wetlands, agricultural lands and the greenbelt?

With so much at stake, why are you risking federal intervention and why are you further endangering our already vulnerable species, biodiversity and our green spaces in this province?