Canada: Markham plan could contain sprawl

A groundbreaking plan to freeze Markham’s expansion onto prime farmland could voluntarily take the fast-growing suburban powerhouse where no GTA municipality has dared go: upward but not outward.

Several councillors are pushing for a permanent “food belt” within the town’s borders that would be preserved for agriculture until at least 2031. This is land politicians and developers have typically considered ripe for development.

…”This is the most important decision that council is going to make in the next 50 to 100 years,” says Markham Councillor Erin Shapero, who along with fellow Councillor Valerie Burke co-authored the local food belt plan.

“It’s a completely different way of thinking,” says Burke. “We are at the crossroads. We have to get this right. We can’t continue to sprawl. It’s unsustainable when you think of climate change, peak oil and local food security. We have to get this right.”

Toronto Star