Ontario adding lands to Greenbelt under Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
Controversy has swirled around province's plans for the Greenbelt
The provincial government announced Wednesday that it plans to add 360 hectares of privately-owned lands that are currently slated for development to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority.
This move will ensure that environmentally sensitive wetlands in Georgina's North Gwillimbury Forest are under the protection of the Greenbelt, the province said in a news release.
"The wetlands in Georgina's North Gwillimbury Forest are an important part of York–Simcoe," said region MPP Caroline Mulroney, in a statement. "We are a community that loves to be outdoors and conserving these lands will mean that residents and visitors can continue to experience what York–Simcoe has to offer."
The province says the lands to the west and south of Woodbine Avenue and Metro Road North received development permissions decades ago, before the establishment of the Greenbelt, before provincially significant wetlands in Ontario were recognized.
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark will be issuing a Minister's Zoning Order MZO to make the move, according to a news release. MZOs allow the government to immediately authorize development, regardless of local rules for land-use planning decisions.
Controversy has followed Premier Doug Ford's government when it comes to both MZOs and the Greenbelt.
Clark issued an MZO in October in an attempt to fast-track a distribution centre and production facility in the Lower Duffins Creek wetland in Pickering.
Critics also slammed the province last month when officials appointed retired MPP Norm Sterling as the head of the Greenbelt Council. Sterling voted against the creation of the Greenbelt in 2005.