Despite constant pressure, Ontario's greenbelt is here to stay.
We’re not out of the woods yet, but the fifth anniversary of the Green Belt is something to celebrate.
Despite relentless pressure, its 1.8 million acres the province set aside in 2005 remain miraculously intact. Stretching from Niagara Falls to Tobermory to Peterborough, it is a green horse shoe that rings the Golden Horseshoe. There was much shouting and screaming at the time — most notably from certain developers whose fury knew no bounds — but half a decade later, the wisdom of the move has been widely acknowledged.
The most recent confirmation comes from the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. In a report to be released today, authors Maureen Carter-Whitney and Thomas Esakin call the Greenbelt a “visionary act of leadership for the province.” Not often do we hear such praise for our provincial leaders, in this case, Dalton McGuinty.