The province of Ontario cancelled the $6 billion dollar GTA West highway saving thousands of acres of prime farmland and the largest remaining forested area in Vaughan. Building unnecessary highways encourages people to drive, increasing gridlock and carbon pollution.

For 30 years, Environmental Defence has been calling for OMB reform. Finally, the OMB has been replaced with the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT). The new rules promise to level the playing field for citizen participation and empower municipal decision making in land-use planning.

After years of campaigning by Environmental Defence and our partners, the province adds more than 10,000 acres of land to the Greenbelt by protecting 21 Urban River Valleys, Coastal Wetlands and 4 new land parcels in Halton, Niagara, Simcoe.

The province of Ontario concludes the 2 years of public consultation on the 4 land use plans; Greenbelt, Oak Ridges Moraine, Niagara Esarpment and Growth Plans. This results in a strengthened Greenbelt and Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) with a focus on smarter more compact growth, with focus on complete communities, intregrated transit, action on climate change and greater watershed and water protection in the GGH.

The Province of Ontario takes action on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, a long standing issue for Environmental Defence and ENGO and NGO’s across the Province.

Ontario allows municipalities to use ranked ballots in elections if they wish to.

When Municipal election campaigns are funded heavily by development corporations, the councillors elected can be biased, resulting in questionable city development planning. Ontario ends corporate and union donations to municipal elected officials in 2016.

The proposed 413 (GTA West) mega highway would cut through the Greenbelt, impact  multiple crossings of the Humber and Credit Rivers and destroy farmland, forests and wetlands. Our campaign to stop it has caused the province to put the project on hold while its future is considered.

Ontario is reviewing its Greenbelt and Growth Plans. We called for halting infrastructure projects on protected Greenbelt lands, freezing urban boundary expansion and increasing incentives to ensure municipalities meet targets to increase the density and livability of existing settled areas.

Mississauga city council voted unanimously to designate over 800 acres of land along the Credit River as an Urban River Valley, thus protecting this natural heritage area by joining it to Ontario’s Greenbelt.

We helped develop and launch the Cornerstone Standards Council, a not-for-profit organization that has created world-class voluntary certification standards for responsibly sourced sand,  stone and gravel, and help resolve conflicts between industry, First Nations and community and environmental groups.

Located in North Oakville, the Glenorchy Conservation Area protects 650 acres of environmentally sensitive lands and natural heritage systems including Sixteen Mile Creek. Becoming part of the Greenbelt protects its hills, forests, creeks, and wetlands from sprawl and development.

Since 2012, Environmental Defence has been involved in advocating for a strongly protected Rouge Watershed and Rouge National Urban Park as part of Ontario's Greenbelt. In 2013, we led the legal team review of the proposed national park legislation and continue to be a strong voice advocating for the need to greatly improve the Rouge National Park Act and enlarge the size of the park.  

Our efforts to protect farmland, natural heritage lands and vulnerable source waters resulted in the establishment of Ontario’s Greenbelt in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Since then, we’ve worked to strengthen and grow the Greenbelt, protect more at risk land and change the direction of city growth in the region.

Made up of over 100 groups, the Ontario Greenbelt  Alliance is the watchdog and protector of Ontario’s Greenbelt. Alliance members are united by the shared belief that a strong economy and a beautiful, well-protected Greenbelt go hand in hand.