The proposed development of…

The proposed development of additional parcels at Milcroft is about far more than land use. It is about the kind of city we choose to leave to our children and grandchildren.

Milcroft represents one of Burlington’s most valuable urban green spaces. Beyond its recreational value, it functions as a living ecosystem that supports biodiversity and provides essential environmental services that cannot be replaced once they are lost.

This landscape is home to coyotes, foxes, swans, ducks, cardinals, blue jays, hawks, owls, squirrels, chipmunks, turtles, frogs, pollinators, and countless other bird species. These animals are not visitors. This is their habitat. Every acre lost further fragments an ecosystem that has taken decades to establish.

The mature tree canopy across the property serves as one of Burlington’s natural lungs, filtering pollutants, capturing carbon, reducing urban heat, producing oxygen, and improving the health and well-being of surrounding neighbourhoods. These are not simply trees. They are critical infrastructure, providing environmental services that would cost millions of dollars to replicate artificially, if they could be replicated at all.

Equally important is the role this green space plays in stormwater management and groundwater recharge. Unlike paved surfaces, healthy soils and mature vegetation absorb rainfall, reduce runoff, replenish aquifers, and lessen the risk of flooding during increasingly frequent extreme weather events. As climate change continues to challenge municipalities across Ontario, protecting natural landscapes is no longer a luxury. It is sound public policy.

The City of Burlington has already recognized the significance of this property by requesting a Ministerial Zoning Order to permanently designate the remaining lands as parks and open space. That position reflects years of community engagement and acknowledges what residents have consistently said: Milcroft is a public environmental asset, regardless of its private ownership.

Approving further Official Plan amendments would not simply change zoning. It would permanently reduce one of Burlington’s most important ecological corridors, setting a precedent that long-term environmental stewardship can be overridden by short-term development interests.

Growth is necessary, but responsible growth does not require sacrificing irreplaceable natural assets. Cities around the world are investing heavily to restore urban forests, wetlands, wildlife habitats, and green infrastructure because they understand their immense economic, environmental, and public health value. Burlington already possesses one of these assets. Destroying it now would be both environmentally and financially shortsighted.

This is not simply about preserving a golf course.

It is about protecting biodiversity.

It is about safeguarding clean air and clean water.

It is about maintaining resilience against climate change.

It is about honouring the wishes of a community that has repeatedly spoken with one voice.

Most importantly, it is about ensuring that future generations inherit a city that values nature as much as development.

Some decisions define a city’s legacy. Preserving Milcroft should be one of them.