Council Endorses Request for Expansion of Provincial Greenbelt

Mississauga City Council has endorsed a plan to expand the Provincial Greenbelt Plan Area by designating public lands within the Credit River corridor as Urban River Valley. This decision builds on a recommendation from the Natural Heritage and Urban Forest Strategy.

“Mississauga’s natural heritage system and urban forest are a significant part of our city’s landscape,” said Ward 8 Councillor Matt Mahoney. “As Chair of the Environmental Action Committee, I would like to thank the many groups involved in this great initiative for their support of environmental conservation and sustainability in Mississauga.”

The City has identified 76 parcels of land totally approximately 194 ha (479 ac) along the Credit River corridor. These parcels of land were selected so as to not limit the City’s current or future use of the lands.

“This is a historic day for the City of Mississauga as the first municipality in Ontario to request the inclusion of valley lands into the Greenbelt,” said Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey. “Expanding the Greenbelt demonstrates the City’s environmental leadership and commitment to creating a sustainable future for our city and our residents.”

City staff consulted with other public land owners within the Credit River corridor, namely the Region of Peel, Credit Valley Conservation and the Province of Ontario to discuss inclusion of their parcels along the Credit River.

“The City of Mississauga’s Official Plan policies afford significant protection to parcels being considered as Urban River Valley,” said Laura Piette, Director, Parks and Forestry. “Expanding the Provincial Greenbelt complements that protection by raising Mississauga’s environmental profile and supports land and water stewardship initiatives along the Credit River.”

With Council’s support, the City will submit a request package to the Region of Peel. The request to the Province of Ontario must be completed by the Region of Peel as the upper tier municipality.

For more information, please visit, mississauga.ca/naturalheritage.