Three Hoots for the Greenbelt

 

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
    the world, and those who live in it,
2 for he has founded it on the seas
    and established it on the rivers.

Psalm 24:1-2 NRSVue

In 2022 the Doug Ford Conservative government was caught with its Greenbelt undone, the revelation that secret deals had been done to transfer protected land -- 7400 acres -- to developers. There was a public hue and cry and lots of events including a Belleville march to protest these shady dealings. We froze as we walked along the Moira River but lots of people showed up.  The call this the Greenbelt Scandal for a reason although the consequences were minimal.  Some lackeys were fired and Ford apologized after a fashion.Bill 136 was eventually introduced to transfer land back to the Greenbelt.

Recently opposition politicians have protested the intentionally brief consultations about what transpired  and are seeking more public engagement about the bill.  Ford has responded in his usual nuanced way by saying the public "don't give two hoots" about the bill, inferring that we don't care about the ongoing support of the Greenbelt. 

Ford is wrong, of course, and I immediately spluttered, "I give THREE hoots about the Greenbelt Doug!" As a citizen of Ontario I fully support the Greenbelt for the present and the future of my granchildren. Yes, I want more affordable housing in this province but giving developers cozy deals is not the way to get there. As a Christian I want justice not only for those who need homes but for the Earth itself. I want protections for streams and forests and existing farmland because this fits my vision for Creation. 

I told our daughter who a graphic designer about my "three hoots" comment and she came up with a couple of designs. At the very least they delighted me and caused me to chuckle. Yes, this is a serioius subject and we can apply the proverbial owlish wisdom to our efforts but it's good to laugh as well.