Ontario's Greenbelt, which was created amidst some controversy in 2005, could soon be expanded to help stop urban sprawl in Southern Ontario. A new report, Ontario's Greenbelt in an International Context compares it to five other greenbelts in England, Germany, The Netherlands, British Columbia and Portland, Ore.

It concludes that Ontario's Greenbelt is "positioned to be the most successful and most useful greenbelt in the world." It's already the largest of those studied, at 1.8 million acres, and now the provincial government has issued guidelines for expanding the greenbelt.

The study, funded by an independent charitable foundation called Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, looked at the policies and challenges of the other greenbelts, in order to come up with ways that Ontario's could be improved. A lesson from England was that a clear governance structure is needed to ensure protection of the greenbelt. "Multiple goals for the Ontario Greenbelt in agriculture, tourism and promoting sensitive natural heritage environments, means several different Ontario ministries are involved," says the report. It says a governance structure like one in place in the U.K. "ensures that environmental, agricultural and rural concerns are less likely to be seen as competing values."

The report says proper data collection and research is required to measure the impact of the Greenbelt on land values and housing prices. It says programs to support Greenbelt farmers must be implemented to "recognize and support the landscape conservation work that farmers undertake on behalf of the public. The UK has financial programs that have been developed to acknowledge the fact that farmers provide many public benefits that are not adequately rewarded through their sales of farm produce."

The study also recommends that the provincial and federal governments create local food webs to link people and businesses that grow, sell, and buy food within a local region.

The strongest recommendation, and the most controversial, is that the Greenbelt be expanded to eliminate "leapfrog" development -- major development that occurs just outside the boundaries of the Greenbelt. "This type of development is an inefficient use of land, leading to greater pressure to build sewer and water infrastructure and highways and roads through the Greenbelt to service areas with few homes and jobs per square kilometer," says the study. "Creating a larger area of land to prevent uncontrolled urban development and sprawl would mean a healthier Ontario for all."

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture agrees with much of the report, but has concerns about Greenbelt expansion. It says farmers own almost all of the Greenbelt land "and stand to lose the most" if it's expanded.

It says the value of Greenbelt farmland has decreased by about 30 per cent, "while farms that border Greenbelted areas but are not included in the zoning have shot up in value, making it difficult for those farmers to expand their operations."

Wendy Omvlee, chair of the OFA Greenbelt Task Force, says: "Lowered value is only one problem farmers face. Recommendations were put forth by a government task force in 2004 to address wildlife predation of livestock, trespassing, crop damage and ecological goods and services. Farmers are already contributing positively to the environment out of their own pockets, unlike European Union or U.S. farmers who are compensated for these efforts."

The OFA says the province needs to identify how large a Greenbelt is required to check the "leapfrogging" problem. "The process of additions to the Greenbelt cannot go on forever," it says.

The OFA is also calling on the government to undertake comprehensive studies to assess how the Greenbelt has affected the viability of agriculture, including "land values, land ownership and the cost and ability to conduct all aspects of normal farm practices."

Recently the president of the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), Michael Moldenhauer, wrote that his organization supports the Greenbelt, and "if anyone suggests differently, they are either not properly informed or making an assumption."

But BILD says the province has "muddied the waters" by issuing a discussion paper about expanding the Greenbelt before its Growth Plan has been fully implemented. That plan, which designates areas around Southern Ontario for future growth, has a deadline of June 2009 for municipal conformity.

"The best way to ensure the success of the Greenbelt is to ensure the success of the Growth Plan," says Moldenhauer. "I would add that the best way to avoid leapfrog development is to expedite development within the areas slated for growth. If the environmental lobby is so concerned with leapfrog development, it should stop standing in the way of development in Growth Plan areas."

He says the Growth Plan needs time to work, and that Greenbelt expansion is premature.

Published: May 13, 2008

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Jim Adair is editor of REM: Canada's Real Estate Magazine, a business publication for real estate agents and brokers. He is also consulting editor of Homes & Cottages, Canada's largest building and renovation magazine. Email jimhc@pathcom.com.