April 24, 2007

Statement to the Legislature: Concerning the Protection of Ontario's Green Spaces
David Caplan, Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of Earth week, I rise with pride to tell my colleagues about the latest significant step our government is taking to protect this province’s valuable green space for Ontario families.

Mr. Speaker, our government has long been committed to curbing the urban sprawl that is choking our communities, and strengthening the environment that is so important to the quality of life we enjoy today, and that our children will enjoy tomorrow.

And so, we are donating more than 200 acres of natural heritage land to communities and organizations across Ontario.

I am talking, Speaker, about the transfer of 10 significant green spaces – some big, some small – that stretch from Pickering to Hamilton and south to Essex County.

These properties contain a range of significant natural characteristics, such as wetlands, hardwood forests, environmentally sensitive areas, as well as unique waterfalls and trail systems. All of these properties are excellent examples of the types of outdoor spaces all Ontarians can enjoy now and in the future.

They are precisely the kinds of land we have sworn to protect, and by transferring them to communities and organizations that share that commitment, we are doing exactly that.

We have had to walk a very fine line, Mr. Speaker, as a government committed to rebuilding public infrastructure that has been neglected for too long, while managing growth in one of North America’s fastest growing regions – the Greater Golden Horseshoe and also protecting and increasing parkland and natural areas that have been unprotected and eroded for too long.

I am proud to say that we have walked that line with great success.

Our award-winning Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe will ensure that our infrastructure and growth needs will be met for a quarter century as almost four million new residents make this area their home… And, they will be met strategically, with an eye on the environment.

The Greenbelt that now stretches across southern Ontario will protect 1.8 million acres for our children and grandchildren.

We have protected 5,500 acres of ecologically sensitive land in Rouge Park and the new Bob Hunter Memorial Park, 650 acres of land in Oakville, and 180 acres of natural heritage land to create Hamilton’s newest conservation area, Eramosa Park.

Mr. Speaker, this government has already taken action by introducing tough new laws.

You know Mr. Speaker, it isn’t enough to just talk a good game on protecting the environment - you actually have to deliver. And we have done just that.

The expansion of our green spaces that I am proud to be talking about today, is another example of the McGuinty government delivering on its commitment to the environment, and delivering on its commitment to preserving green spaces that help make life in Ontario unique and wonderful.

Right across Ontario, we are proving that sustainable development can be more than a buzz word, or a concept or a dream…it can be a reality.

We are proving that you can strengthen the vital infrastructure of a province – its hospitals, schools, roads and bridges – while still contributing to cleaner air and safer water and an environment in which we can all be proud.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate earth week, let us remember that we are making decisions today that affect future generations. By protecting green spaces today, we are ensuring that they will be able to enjoy the outdoors as we did growing up.

Mr. Speaker the McGuinty government is proving that with the right plan and with the right commitment we can create a cleaner, greener Ontario. We are proving it today with the donation of these 10 parcels of land that we can indeed ensure that there will be ample, beautiful, vibrant green space in this province for Ontario families to enjoy for generations to come.

Thank you.