Development in the Greenbelt could put dozens of species in peril

From under the water to up in the air, Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve (DRAP) is filled with hundreds of species, including eagles, herons, deer, salmon and wood frogs. The river running through the preserve feeds other parts of the Greenbelt, and experts say the land is some of the best farmland in the country.

This 5,000-acre area, often referred to as the crown jewel of the Greenbelt, has been protected from development until the Ford government repealed its preservation last November. Now this land is expected to be turned into housing — but it won’t be lost without a fight.

Jean and Robert Hilscher are avid bird watchers in the area. They were in Duffins Rouge when CityNews visited the preserve in mid-April.

“This is a corridor, people don’t know that millions of birds are coming over and they’re tired after flying over lake Ontario,” explained Robert. “One of the key places they look to come down because of the right vegetation and food is here, they come to the Duffins Rouge.”

While protest signs against the planned redevelopment of the area can be found throughout the surrounding communities, Robert has started his own protest on social media. He has posted photos for the last 157 days in a row, showing the beauty he and his wife have discovered through their lenses.

It is a labour of love that has garnered nearly 3,000 followers so far.

“It’s important, we’re the only ones that can speak for what is going to be destroyed,” said Robert.

Also taking stock of what could be lost to development is Victor Doyle. He was the lead architect when the Greenbelt was created almost 20 years ago, under the government of then-premier Dalton McGuinty. Doyle joined CityNews in Duffins Rouge to showcase its natural features.

He pointed to a rare heron rookery, explaining it was a nesting ground for the Great Blue Heron. There were dozens of the nests high above the ground, it was easy to spot the large birds flying to and from them through the branches.

Doyle believes the habit, and others like it, are in peril. The swampy land it’s on won’t be paved over, but the surrounding property on all sides of it will be.

“If you urbanize and just leave this alone and put subdivisions all around, it won’t survive,” said Doyle.

RELATED: Original architect of the Ontario Greenbelt shares the impact of development

Doyle fears salmon and rainbow trout won’t survive either.

“The contamination, mainly from the runoff from the pavement into the rivers, does two things. It warms the water. These are cold water fish, [they] need cold water, and secondly, the contaminants kill the insects,” he said.

This week, Environmental Defence released a report that shows the Red-headed woodpecker and Monarch butterfly are just two of the 33 species already in the Species at Risk Act that would suffer if development in the DRAP moves forward.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has for years flip-flopped on opening the Greenbelt, now maintains that opening this land for development is necessary to address the housing shortage. Two studies have concluded that opening the Greenbelt is not necessary to meet that target, though the government disputes those conclusions.

Ford argued last week in the legislature that not all of the land put aside for the Greenbelt deserves to be there, saying “that’s not the Greenbelt, that’s just a field with a bunch of weeds.”  He did not specify what area he was referring to.

CityNews asked the Ford government if an environmental assessment was done before it decided to open up the area for development, but have not received a response at this time.

Public consultations showed the vast majority who took part were overwhelmingly against the government’s changes to the Greenbelt, including conservation authorities, Indigenous communities, and environmental groups. The report notes the home building industry however did support opening the Greenbelt.

“The Greenbelt was to protect land that we need to sustain the natural functions of this greater region,” said Doyle. “Removing lands, including these 5,000 acres, is going to negatively impact that. It’s setting a precedent for biting off parts of the Greenbelt bit by bit.”

The Ford government’s planned development is right across the road from the federally created Rouge National Urban Park, which is the largest urban park in North America. The Canadian government announced last month it will conduct a study to see if added housing will have a negative impact on biodiversity and at-risk species, and warned it could shut it down.

Ford responded saying he’s not too concerned.

In the meantime, the Hilschers vow to continue to shoot and post their photographs of the wildlife in Duffins Rouge Agriculture Preserve every day, motivated by what will be lost if housing is built there. “It’s not just land. It’s all these animals and birds,” said Robert.

With files from Meredith Bond and Jessica Bruno