r= Milton Canadian Champion | Thursday, May 17, 2018 | @ OPINION EDITORIAL + Protecting Cc Greenbelt When the Greenbelt plan was first established in 2005 there were cries'it would stifle development and "prevent future growth around the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton and the Golden Horseshoe. While over the years developers and some rural residents have complained about the plan's restric- tions, for the most part the Greenbelt has saved mil- lions of acres of land that would have been paved over for roads, houses and shopping plazas. So it was with stunning consternation when Pro- gressive Conservative leader Doug Ford revealed in a February 2018 video that he would "open up" the s Greenbelt to make way for residential homes? But in record time, Ford reversed course on his idea to destroy the Greenbelt once his intentions be- came known to the public. The Progressive Conservatives have a history of trying to build on environmentally sensitive land. When Mike Harris led the party, he proposed to allow developers to build on the Oak Ridges Morainé. Soon after the backlash began and the PCs in 2001 backed "away from the idea. The Greenbelt plan has proved exceptionally bene- ficial to Ontario residents, protecting about 800,000 hectares of land from:Niagara to Port Hope, along the 'Niagara Escarpment. The iglea then and still isto limit urban sprawl'and preserve environmentally sensitive land. It ensures that at least 60 per celtt of all new resi- dential developments innmunicipalities are in exist- ing built up areas, an increase from the previous 40 per cent. In Halton, the Greenbelt plan i is Sprotectiiig 42,330 square hectares of land - beautiful and in some parts' ~ecologically-sensitive green space that may otherwise have been developed. The Greenbelt document has forced developers to build oh land they have been sitting on for years, such as along the Lake Ontario shoreline. Development has also been going at a breakneck pace in others areas of Burlington, Milton and Oakville. It is projected that the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which includes Hal- ton, will grow by about four million people over the next 25 years. But as the Greenbelt and other provincial planning policies have shown, and what Ford and his ilk should: be aware of, building within the confines of an urban area is preferably and more cost effective than dig- ging up farmland to build the next shiny new big hox store. Milton Canadian Champion 901 Guelph Line 3 Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0615 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 CONTACT US Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. CHAMPION TRACKS Maddie Crevier phot Maddie Crevier, Darryl MacDonald and Sloane MacDonald enjoy a magical experience at Disney World, where' they met Princess Anna and Queen Elsa. Going away? Pack a copy of the Champion in your suitcase, snap a creative photo and email your Champion Tracks submission to cohara@metroland. com. Please include everyone's name and destination information. The Milton Canadian Champion, pub lished every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group (td. a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers, is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. * metrolandrmci: Connected to your community" I A IAS RO Sonert The Mitton Canadian Champion is a member ~ of the National NewsMedia Council. Com- plainanits are urged to bring their concems to . the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca nnc - Aocna National NewsMedia Counc) = editor@miltoncanadianchampion. com Ei; MiltonCanadianChampion @Milton"_Champion { Street light approved for Martin nd Woodward Council also approves light at bridge on the avenue, writes Dills Time capsules are gems of 'information extracted from past issues of the - Champion and other publi- cations in order to provide a window into Milton's past. November 1922 Town council approved a recommendation that an electric street light be placed at the corner of Mar- tin Street and Woodward Avenue and another at the bridge on the avenue. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. Accrédiré -FDS Accredited JIM DILLS Column- The wet weather of last Thursday evening : must have affected the atten- dance at the Thanksgiving supper given in the school room of the Methodist Church, but it was very sat- isfactory. The tables had to be cleared and reset sever- al times before all had been served." The ladies of the congregation provided a splendid meal of substan- VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com | 289-293-0614 Director Advertising Dariiel Baird dbaird@metroland.com | 289-293-0624 Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara cohara@metroland.com | 289-293-0615 tials and delicacies, the ta- * bles were decorated with beautiful flowers and there' was an ample force of wait- ers. The supper was fol- lowed by an exceptionally good musical program in the church, given by- local talent. : There was a large atten- dance at Grace Church last - Thursday evening at the in- duction of Rev. Canon Naf- tel as rector by Ven. Arch- deacon Renison of the Church of the Ascension, Hamilton, who read the im- pressive induction service and presented Carion Naf- tel with the keys of the church. ® At present the Method- ist trustee board is absorb- ed in the details of the new * WHO WE ARE sian heating plant for the church and school room. They hope to have it com- pleted by the first of the' year and never to hear any more complaints of the church being cold. The plant will be the very best @canatoncom | Fa J and most efficient of its kind. There was a good atten- dance at the free radio con- cert given by the Durant Co. in the Palermo hall on Friday evening, but the ra- - dio failed to operate suc- cessfully, which was a great disappointment. -- This material is as- sembled on behalf of the Milton Historical Society by Jim Dills, who can be reached through the society | at 905-875-4156. Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman kmossman@metroland.com | 905-631-6095 Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia ha: