Dozens of activists and farmers kicked off a weekend of protests Friday morning by gathering outside of MPP Neil Lumsden’s office. They are protesting Bill 23, legislation from the Ford government that would forcibly expand Hamilton’s urban boundary and build homes on more than 1,400 hectares of protected natural and farmlands.

Sunil Puri, a farmer in Hamilton says, “we have some of Ontario’s most viable farmland. Once you pave over that, it’s lost forever.”

The province says the changes are necessary to deal with the growing house and rental prices.

A new investigation from the Toronto Star and the Narwhal suggests that six big developers bought land in the Greenbelt that was previously protected that’s now up for expansion before the premier announced the bill.

There will be plenty more rallies all over Hamilton over the coming days and especially over the weekend, right up until that December 4th deadline to submit provincial feedback.

Feedback can be submitted on the government’s website.

CHCH News reached out to MPP Neil Lumsden and MPP Donna Skelly and neither made themselves available for an interview.