The meeting is being organized by the Province of Ontario.

The Province is currently reviewing 4 important pieces of legislation that have a huge impact on our environment:

• The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe
• The Greenbelt Plan
• The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan
• The Niagara Escarpment Plan.

This combined review is called The Coordinated Land Use Planning Review.

Step 1 of this Review is getting public input on these Plans and how they could be improved.
This Town Hall meeting is one of fifteen organized around the Golden Horseshoe.
Here are the dates and locations of all the Town Hall meetings.

Find someone wearing a TEA logo button and say hi.
We want to make sure TEA supporters are connected with each other.

6:00 to 7:00 pm  Open House
Participants will have a chance to mingle with government staff, review poster boards, enjoy refreshments and connect with others. 

7:00 pm  Discussion Round 1
People will be asked to choose a table to sit at based on one of six topic areas:

• Protecting Agricultural Land
• Moving People and Goods
• Fostering Liveable Communities
• Creating Jobs
• Addressing Climate Change
• Aligning the four Plans

After a brief introduction, you will be asked to answer a set of specific questions related to each topic area.
The goal will be for the people at your table to agree to the top 3 actions that best address the questions.

7:45 pm   Discussion Round 2
People will move to another topic table and go through the same exercise (answering specific questions; identifying the top 3 actions that can be taken).

8:30 pm   Reports
Tables report out to everyone on what was said.

9:00 pm  Meeting concludes

While there is no Greenbelt Table, every issue area is directly related to the Greenbelt.
Go to the two tables you feel most passionate about.
Then, make sure your comments reflect actions that help the Greenbelt. (See the next question.)

Here are some ideas. Feel free to use them as you see fit.

• Enhance the health of ecological lands in the Greenbelt.
  We rely on these lands for our fresh air and clean water. These lands are also are important green infrastructure to help us prepare for climate change.
• Enhance the ability of local farmers to make a living by allowing for small, agricultural business that aligns with the goals of the Greenbelt.
  We need Greenbelt farmers to make a decent living so that they continue supplying us with local food.
• Make sure that future development in cities around the Greenbelt is close to transit and other infrastructure.
  This way, we reduce air and greenhouse pollution and resource extraction that harms the Greenbelt.
• Grow the Greenbelt into urban river valleys.
  Rivers that start in the Greenbelt flow through our cities into Lake Ontario. The public lands around these rivers should all have the same level of protection to ensure these ecological lands are protected. 
• For the next 10 years, don't allow any rural and/or natural lands to be designated "urban".
  We don't need any more urban sprawl. Instead, we need developers and cities to build smart neighbourhoods in existing cities.
• Do not build infrastructure that will harm the Greenbelt.
  The proposed GTA West Highway is an example of such infrastructure that would degrade the Greenbelt.

We expect people from many different backgrounds.
At the Town Hall held at the Toronto Reference Library local residents, environmentalists, farmers, developers and government officials were present.
We need to make sure there are lots of people at this meeting who will put forward ideas that help the environment and the Greenbelt.

Yes. To learn more about what defenders of the Greenbelt are saying, check out material produced by TEA and the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance.

You can also learn more about the Ontario Land Use Planning Review Process behind the Town Hall and you can read a Discussion Guide specifically created for the public consultations.