Greenbelt (Golden Horseshoe)

[
Bruce Mau Designs)] The Greenbelt (Golden Horeshoe region) (not to be confused with the Ottawa Greenbelt in the same province) is a permanently protected area of green space, farmland, forests, wetlands, and watersheds, located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It surrounds a significant portion of Canada's most populated and fastest-growing area - The Golden Horseshoe.

Created by legislation passed by the Ontario Government in 2005, the Greenbelt is considered a major step in the prevention of urban development and sprawl on environmentally-sensitive land in the province.

The protection of the Greenbelt is significant for the following reasons:

*It provides fresh air and clean water for people, animals and plants.
*It preserves good agricultural and viticultural land.
*It provides residents of the region with access to parks, hiking trails, rivers, lakes and other recreational lands.
*It preserves many historic communities, villages, towns and hamlets, which is significant for education about the region's cultural heritage.

At over 1.8 million acres (7300 km²), the Greenbelt is larger than Canada's smallest province, Prince Edward Island. Its most prominent land features include the Niagara Escarpment, the Oak Ridges Moraine, and the Rouge Park.

The "Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation" is a not-for-profit organization that was created in 2005 to help foster the Greenbelt in Southern Ontario. The "Foundation," which was provided $25 million from the provincial government, has funded many organizations and charities in the Greenbelt, which support agricultural and viticultural activities and restoring the natural environment. The "Foundation" has also produced several written publications, such as the "Greenbelt Walks" brochure and the "My Local Greenbelt" guide.

The "Foundation" is also responsible for providing a "Friend of the Greenbelt" award that serves to "recognize and celebrate those individuals who make a significant contribution to Ontario's Greenbelt." In 2006, singer Sarah Harmer was selected by the "Foundation" for her "I love the Escarpment" tour, which aims to protect the Niagara Escarpment. In 2007, former Premier William Grenville Davis was presented with the award for adopting the 1973 "Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act," which created the Niagara Escarpment Plan.

Signs featuring the greenbelt's promotional logo, created by designer Bruce Mau, are found along highways and regional roads within the Greenbelt.

ee also

* Green belt
* Niagara Escarpment
* Oak Ridges Moraine
* Politics of the Oak Ridges Moraine
* Rouge Park
* Holland Marsh
* Agricultural Land Reserve

External links

* [http://www.ourgreenbelt.ca Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation]
* [http://www.greenbelt.ca Ontario Greenbelt Alliance]
* [http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page187.aspx Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing - Greenbelt Protection]
* [http://www.tourism.gov.on.ca/english/greenbelt/index.html Ministry of Tourism - The Greenbelt]
* [http://www.ormf.com/ Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation]
* [http://www.escarpment.org/ Niagara Escarpment Commission]
* [http://www.niagaraescarpment.org/ Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment]
* [http://www.rougepark.com/ Rouge Park]
* [http://www.friendsoferamosakarst.org/ Friends of Eramosa KARST]