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Hamilton council considering motion to disengage in provincial Greenbelt plans

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Hundreds of community members took part in Thursday's meeting, with a nearly unanimous call to return the lands back to protected status (Photo Courtesy of Emily Tayler/CHCH News).
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Hamilton councillors are considering a motion to completely disengage from the province’s Greenbelt plans in the city following a community meeting in Ancaster Thursday night.

The meeting at the Ancaster Fairgrounds had hundreds of residents filling the venue to share their thoughts on the Ford Government’s decision to proceed with the development of former Greenbelt land.

Prior to the meeting being held, advocacy groups, including Environment Hamilton and Environmental Defence rallied outside the fairgrounds calling for the land to be returned to protected status.

In Hamilton, the three parcels of land up for development are in Ancaster, Mount Hope and Winona.

Community consultations led by the planning committee will serve as a way of collecting input on how Hamiltonians would like to see the land developed, which will then be passed along to a provincial facilitator.

READ MORE: Large turnout anticipated at Greenbelt meeting in Ancaster Thursday night

Many attendees urged the city to stop the consultation process entirely, with the results of in-person consultation and online polling showed an overwhelming majority support against Greenbelt development all together.

Leaders of Six Nations spoke to council at the meeting, emphasizing that they were never consulted on the land swap despite it being Indigenous land.

This failure to consult with Indigenous leaders is a violation of the Williams Treaty Settlement Agreement that details existing rights within a large part of the Greenbelt, including the rights to harvesting, hunting, fishing and gathering on the lands.

Should the province choose to move forward with the decision to remove lands from Greenbelt protections, there will be a direct interference with these treaty protected rights.

WATCH MORE: Greenbelt building going ahead: Calandra touts progress, but without detail

Mayor Andrea Horwath was in attendance and shared her thoughts on the matter saying, “As you all know I have been pretty clear from the very start that we should not be developing the Greenbelt.”

The City once again requested that the lands in question be returned to Greenbelt protection in August following the recommendation for status restoration put forward in the Auditor General’s report on the province’s decision earlier that month.

Some residents who live on Ancaster farmland, however, say they never asked to be part of the Greenbelt and this decision would right that wrong.

Council is expected to debate the proposition that the City stop the consultation process entirely and refuse to work with the province at the next full council meeting.

WATCH MORE: New housing minister says more Greenbelt land could be opened to development

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