Greenbelt, meet “Bluebelt.”

That’s the vision of a collection of environmental groups that wants to almost double the size of the protected band of land around the Golden Horseshoe to include water systems such as the Oro Moraine and the Humber River headwaters.

The proposal calls for 1.5 million acres to be added to the 1.8 million-acre Greenbelt — already the biggest of its kind in the world — as the Liberal government continues a review of the protected zone that was mandated upon its creation 10 years ago.

Burkhard Mausberg, chief executive officer of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, said the proposal was created through consultations with conservation officers, scientists and environmental groups. It has been submitted to a provincial panel, headed by former Toronto mayor David Crombie, that is preparing recommendations for the future of the Greenbelt. A report is expected in the coming weeks.

“If we were to grow the Greenbelt,” Mausberg asked, “what should we look at? The uniform answer we got back was: Look at water resources. Look at drinking water sources, look at important watersheds, look at coast lines, look at rivers. In essence, make the Greenbelt the ‘Bluebelt.’”

That would mean expanding the protective zone past Kitchener-Waterloo to include the Paris-Galt, Waterloo and Orangeville Moraines of the Grand River Watershed, and north past Barrie to Collingwood to take up the Nottawasaga and Lake Simcoe watersheds. The proposal would then add Niagara Region’s Gibson Lake and the Oak Ridges Moraine to the east along the shore of Lake Ontario. Urban river valleys such as the Don, Humber and Rouge would also be added.

The environmental groups, which include Ontario Nature, Earthroots, EcoSpark and STORM, contend these areas are “critical to a healthy agricultural industry and biodiversity in the region.” They argue that adding them to the Greenbelt would ensure the protection of clean drinking water sources from suburban sprawl in the GTHA.

“It’s not a question of ‘hold the line or fight to defend what’s there.’ If we’re going to do this protection right and well, then we need to look at different areas,” said Caroline Schultz, executive director of Ontario Nature.

“If we are going to protect water, which as we all know is incredibly important and incredibly precious and in short supply, then we need to do this on an expanded basis.”

The Greenbelt currently consists of lakes, wetlands, farmland, river valleys and forests, and is already larger than Prince Edward Island. It was created by Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government in 2005. The goal was to limit the spread of suburban development into rural Ontario farmland, protect environmentally sensitive areas and encourage density in metropolitan centres such as Toronto.

In 2010, a study from the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy concluded that Ontario’s Greenbelt has some of the strongest legal protections and political commitments when compared with other such zones in Europe, Australia and elsewhere in North America.

Critics of the plan have argued that the existence of the Greenbelt has contributed to higher housing prices. Between 2005 — when the Greenbelt was created — and 2014, housing prices jumped more than 65 per cent, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board. As of September 2015, the average price of a single-family detached home in Toronto was $852,800.

At Queen’s Park this week, Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown said that before the Greenbelt is further expanded, the government needs to look at soaring housing prices.

“It’s a real worry that people can’t afford to buy a home today,” Brown said.

“Don’t get me wrong — everyone aspires for more green space … but I think a conversation that we have to have is: How is this going to affect the pricing of the housing market?” he said. “If we reduce supply, ultimately that’s going to drive prices up.”

David Burnett, planning manager with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, agreed the Greenbelt may play a “small role” in rising GTHA housing prices, but argued there are many other factors involved. Schultz echoed Burnett and pointed to a joint Royal Bank of Canada-Pembina Institute report from 2013 that concluded there is “no evidence” the Greenbelt has restricted GTA housing development and contributed to rising home prices.

“It’s a convenient argument to make if you’re a developer and you feel like you’ll be limited,” Schultz said, “but that argument has been refuted. … At this point we need the recognition that these areas are ultimately going to be protected.”

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With files from Robert Benzie

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