Halton Councilors Vote to Protect Farmland

BurlingtonGreen is a non-partisan, solution-focused organization. Together with the community, we work to advance our mission to protect the environment, mitigate climate change and create a healthier more environmentally responsible Burlington.

On February 16th, Halton Regional Council voted 15-9 in favour of protecting 5,200 acres of prime agricultural farmland from being designated for development!

Prior to the meeting, Councilors received over 1,000 letters from constituents concerned about the proposed Preferred Growth plan that would result in opening up the urban boundary allowing for unnecessary sprawl and the loss of world class farmland increasingly important for local food security in the face of the escalating climate crises.

In addition to the huge volume of letters calling for the protection of these lands, there were 40+ endorsements in favour of a hard urban boundary from a wide range of organizations including farm groups, labour groups, Indigenous voices, naturalists, faith groups, and young people who will be living with Council’s decision for years to come.

The council meeting began at 10:30 a.m. and ran for over 8 hours, as Councilors listened to more than 55 live delegations over Zoom. Not one verbal delegation was in favour of designating the farmland for development.

Urban sprawl is costly to the environment, the taxpayers, and municipalities. And given the escalating implications of the climate crisis, it is important we conserve farmland while improving the existing communities within the current urban footprint. Read this helpful letter here to learn why this issue should be important to us all.

We encourage you to contact the Mayor and Councilors (below) to let them know what you think about their decisions on this important issue.