From Ontario Nature:

Eleven months after the Government of Ontario withdrew land from the Greenbelt, the government has finally reversed course. September 21, 2023 was a great day for the Greenbelt. And it was a great day for people across Ontario.

We are incredibly grateful to you – our members and supporters – for refusing to let the Greenbelt be bulldozed by greed and corruption. You knew this was never about affordable housing. The government’s own reports show that there is plenty of land already zoned for housing and two provincial watchdogs laid bare the evidence of bias, deception and rushed decision-making lacking oversight or public transparency.

In Premier Ford’s own words: “I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t touch the Greenbelt. I broke that promise. And for that I am very, very sorry… As a first step to earn back your trust, I’ll be reversing the changes we made and won’t make any changes to the Greenbelt in the future.” 

You held him to that promise by writing letters, attending rallies, signing petitions, spreading the word, contacting your MPPs and so much more. We should all take some time to celebrate this news! This is indeed, however, only the first step that must be taken to restore environmental protections across the province.

Ontario Nature will continue to be there whenever and wherever nature needs us most. There remain many threats to wild species and wild spaces in Ontario. We will continue to be a watchdog against environmental deregulation and attacks on our natural heritage. We will continue to push for measures to address the dual threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. Our strength is in our people and Nature Network groups. Please continue to stand with us. Together, our voices can make waves of change.