The Ford government wants to open up the Greenbelt for housing. Here's what it's proposing

Premier Doug Ford is justifying a proposalto build tens of thousands of new homeson land that is now part of Ontario'sGreenbelt by saying the province's housing crisis has worsened and that it will become more dire now that the federal government hasunveiled a plan to bring in half a million more immigrants a year.

"We have a housing crisis that we didn't have fouryears ago," Ford said at a news conference Monday.

"We are going to make sure we get housing built."

The proposal, which was released Friday, aims tobuild at least 50,000 new homes on more than a dozen tracts of land now intheGreenbelt, whileadding roughly2,000 acresof protectedland elsewhere.It's an idea that's drawing criticism from oppositionpoliticians and affordable housing advocatesafter a Ford government pledge last yearnot to cut the Greenbelt or do a land swap.

"I want to be clear: we will not in any way entertain any proposals that will move lands in the Greenbelt, or open the Greenbelt lands to any kind of development," Housing Minister Steve Clark said in February of 2021 when confirmingplans to expand the protected areaby adding a moraine south of Toronto and a series of urban river lands.

Butthe province now says it's launchinga 30-day consultation on removing about 7,400 acres in 15 different plots of landand adding 9,400 acres in other areas as part its planto build 1.5 million homesover the next decadeto alleviate Ontario's severe housing shortage.

You can read the full government proposal for yourself below.

But More Neighbours Toronto, anadvocacy group aiming to tackle the long-term political, social, and economic consequences of unaffordable housing, says the move to cut Greenbelt land is not justified.

"I think we'd probably take a different tune if the province said, 'Hey, we're going to open up parts of theGreenbelt but it's going to be transit oriented, middle-density,' the types of communities we want to see," said Rocky Petkov, an advocate with the group.

"Just keep your promise.You promised that you would not touch the Greenbelt but now you broke your promise and that's not acceptable."

Petkov said if the goal isto house people, "ideally we'd be building on space we already occupy."

Protected land a 'no-go zone,' Greens say

If the proposal is accepted, landowners will be expected to develop housing plans quickly with construction beginning no later than 2025.

Following the government's announcement, Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreinersaid the protected land should be a "no-go zone.

"We dohave a housing crisis, there's no doubt about it, but we have land within our municipal boundaries to build homes for people,"Schreinersaid in an interview with CBC Toronto Monday.

Schreiner said whatthe province is proposing will make life more expensive for people because they'll have to commute farther to get to work. He said it will be costly formunicipalities as well, because it's"much more expensive to service sprawl and we're all going to pay for it with our tax dollars."

Here are theareas of land the Ford government wants to open up for development:

• King Township: east of Dufferin Street, south of Miller's Sideroad andwest of Bathurst Street.
• Vaughan: north of Teston Road, east of Pine Valley Drive.
• Richmond Hill: east of Leslie Street, north of Elgin Mills RoadEast and west of Highway 404.
• Whitchurch-Stouffville: 11861 and12045 McCowan Road.
• Markham: 5474 19th Avenue.
• 10325, 10378 and 10541 Highway 48.
• 10379 Kennedy Road.
• Pickering: West of West Duffins Creek, between Highway 407 andthe CP Belleville rail line.
• Ajax: 765 and775 Kingston RoadEast.
• Clarington: Northwest corner of Nash Road and Hancock Road.
• Hamilton: South of Garner Road West, between Fiddlers Green RoadandShaver Road.
• Hamilton: Between White Church RoadEast andChippewa RoadEast, from Miles Roadto Upper James Street.
• Grimsby: Between the GO rail line andMain Street West, from Oakes RoadNorthto Kelson AvenueNorth.
• 502 Winston Road.
• Hamilton: 331 and339 Fifty Road.

Here is the full Ontario government proposal to cut Greenbelt land and open it for development: