Ford government gives Greenbelt Foundation $12 million

The Ontario government announced $12 million in renewed funding over three years to the Greenbelt Foundation, an independent body dedicated to the permanence, protection and prosperity of this broad band of biodiverse land in southern Ontario.

The funding will support foundation initiatives such as increasing native vegetation, restoring shorelines, preserving riparian areas, wetlands and streams and improving habitats for endangered species.

“As Ontario grows at an unprecedented rate, we are keenly aware of the critical need for the Greenbelt’s unique benefits and resources,” said Edward McDonnell, chief executive officer of the Greenbelt Foundation, in an online statement. “We are grateful for continued funding from the Government of Ontario, which allows us to ensure that Ontarians can benefit from the clean air and water, natural spaces and local food sources that the Greenbelt provides.”

The investment will further assist with the expansion of natural areas and cover while fostering public awareness and engagement through outdoor recreational activities and sustainable tourism opportunities, said the foundation statement. As well, the funding will contribute to maintaining and increasing green infrastructure and climate resilience in the Greenbelt and its surrounding residential communities, as well as improving awareness and understanding of the region.

“Renewing the Greenbelt Foundation funding will help promote Ontario’s Greenbelt as a vibrant natural resource for fresh air, clean water, local food, and world-class outdoor recreation and tourism,” said Environment Minister Andrea Khanjin in an online statement.

A swath of about two million acres, the Greenbelt was created in 2005 to permanently protect agricultural and environmentally sensitive lands from development. It spans natural landscapes, farmlands and urban river valleys, stretching about 325 kilometres from the east end of Oak Ridges Moraine near Rice Lake to the Niagara River.

But in December 2022, the Ford government removed 7,400 acres of land from the Greenbelt for housing development as part of the province’s commitment to build 1.5 million new homes over the next decade. Following significant public pressure and critical reports from the provincial auditor general and integrity commissioner, Premier Doug Ford reversed the plan. However, the RCMP has officially launched a criminal investigation into the $8.3-billion Greenbelt land swap.

Phil Pothen, land use and land development program manager at Environmental Defence, acknowledges the significance of funding the ongoing work of the Greenbelt Foundation. But $12 million is a minor gesture relative to the uncertainty created by the Ford government's attempts to remove land from the protected region, he said.

“In order to fix the damage, and restore certainty that land, which is in the Greenbelt now, will never be removed, Ontario must overhaul how reviews of Greenbelt boundaries are carried out,” said Pothen. “This means ensuring that any future review is conducted by someone approved by all parties in the legislature, explicitly excludes the possibility of future Greenbelt land removals, and presents the results of the review directly to the legislature.”

This approach would prevent government ministers from manipulating the process to serve politically well-connected developers, he added. “Simply put, the present government and its ‘friends’ are what the Greenbelt needs to be protected from.”