Article content

It happens all the time. You can see it on every side road around Ottawa. Mass destruction of wild nature.

It is called urban sprawl.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Keddy: Don't move to the country to build your dream home Back to video

Somebody severs off a lot. Somebody else buys it. The new owner pays a bulldozer to clear the forest. Then they install a driveway, lawn, and “dream home.” Sometimes the owner even asks the newspaper to write about their “dream home.” Or they take selfies and post them on Facebook. It all seems so virtuous. It is not.

There are important scientific and technical reasons why we should not clear forests and fill wetlands to build houses. There are entire books on this topic.

Today I want to set aside those books. Let us consider just common sense and morality. And let me represent those who cannot speak on their own behalf.

There is a cruel truth behind every new house in the country. That land was already the home to many thousands of other living beings. Now they are mostly dead.