One of the fondest memories of my childhood was playing in my family’s backyard, or with friends in theirs.

My parents were working-class people at a time when a basic, three- bedroom home with one bathroom and an unfinished basement was a dream most average families could turn into a reality.

Today, if you hope to own a home anywhere in or near the Greater Toronto Area and have your “average” family live there, get over it.

Your best hope is a tight little condo, high above the ground … and that appears to be precisely what Queen’s Park wants.

Today, most average families can only move into a single-family home with a backyard within 50 kms of the CN Tower if aging parents with extra cash lend assistance, or leave behind a family home of long standing.

Housing supply is low, demand is huge and everyone reads the stats — more homes sell each month at ever-increasing prices and demand remains robust, unlike almost every other place in Canada, except Vancouver.

This is the tenth year of existence of the so-called “greenbelt laws” that control land use in the greater Golden Horseshoe.

They were passed by a well-intentioned Dalton McGuinty government, when he was premier.

The legislation, however, created artificially what Vancouver has naturally — prices there are high due to geography.

In Vancouver’s case, you can’t build on an ocean or in the Rockies.

In Ontario, it’s legislation to protect the greenbelt that tips the supply/demand curve so sharply that moms and dads can no longer expect to raise their kids in a family home anything like what I remember.

Family expectations have always seemed to include a home and, in smaller Canadian cities and towns, it’s still achievable in many cases.

But the Liberal government created the greenbelt as a way to control urban sprawl, ensure environmental, agricultural, and recreational territories were preserved, and to create a legacy as good stewards of the land.

It wasn’t a bad idea, but time is proving there’s been overkill.

The GTA is home to 5.5-million people, with eight million projected by 2025.

A mandated, 10-year review of the four acts locking up greenbelt lands is now underway, the first one ever and also the last for another decade.

Appearances suggest the end result may be pre-determined … no change.

If so, the average home price of about $1.2-million in Toronto and $800,000 in neighbouring cities and towns will only rise and preserve home ownership solely for the rich.

There is a balanced solution that the Kathleen Wynne Liberal government, which succeeded McGuinty, could employ:

Enhance the powers shared by the province with cities and towns by allowing them to swap greenbelt land for other territory when it makes sense.

Allow development of “orphaned” greenbelt lands … areas already surrounded by grandfathered subdivisions and close to non-greenbelt lands zoned as residential.

Mandate the immediate planning of undeveloped, designated residential areas to open up new communities.

Designate all river valleys as part of the greenbelt and extend current boundaries outward while introducing flexibility to the inside ring.

Other serious issues include tens and, perhaps, hundreds, of thousands of cars clogging highways from Cobourg, Gravenhurst, or St. Catharines, as GTA-employed men and women sacrifice two hours at each end of the day to trek in and out of the metropolitan area.

Think of the extra greenhouse gasses in the air and the loss of family time for everyone. But wait … we’re controlling urban sprawl and maintaining a greenbelt!

The greenbelt concept is a positive one. But people need to be part of the equation.

If the commission studying the relevant legislation and the Wynne government seek balance, they need to step back, attempt to embrace the original objectives set out legislatively by greenbelt laws, and also recognize that there are modifications that can be made to improve the quality of life, our air, and commuter times in the GTA.

Families with dreams can only hope that those conducting the current review seize the opportunity and rebalance supply with demand.

— Shurman is a former Conservative MPP for Thornhill and opposition finance critic, a businessman and commentator on NewsTalk 1010.