We need to stop the big sprawl

OUR READERS WRITE

The outward pressure of urban development in the GTA is a huge problem that we face in the Town of Caledon. Urban sprawl makes climate change worse, increases the cost of housing, and costs municipalities more in services. 

Municipalities can choose to stop the big sprawl and protect our precious farmland and natural areas. They can strictly confine the building of any new housing or other structures within existing built-up areas. They can make a commitment to an overall steady-state economy in which population growth is curbed, consumption levels are decreased, and existing buildings and streetscapes are updated and improved rather than being demolished and replaced.

The big sprawl won't help communities – it will only make sprawl developers richer. In Peel Region, 19,000 acres of farmland and nature are at risk of being swallowed up, including the land around Campbell's Cross Creek and other upper tributaries of the West Humber River.

These waters provide some of the last remaining habitat for the endangered redside dace.

It is time for our local governments to take a strong and clear stand for sustainability and quality of life, and to say NO to urban sprawl, loss of farmland and natural habitats, and never-ending economic and population growth.

Jim Mulvale

Caledon