A Next Chapter for the Greenbelt Foundation

As the Greenbelt Foundation wraps up its 20th anniversary year, we are looking ahead to our next chapter of growth, impact, and leadership. We are very pleased to announce our new Board Chair, Franco Naccarato, who has served on our Board for six and a half years and brings a depth of experience in local food and agriculture as well as public policy that will help guide the Foundation’s work. To mark this transition, we are sharing a letter from Franco to our Greenbelt community—our friends, partners, supporters, and the many people committed to protecting this extraordinary landscape.

Dear Friends and Partners, 

I am honoured and excited to be writing to you today in my capacity as the new Chair of the Greenbelt Foundation.  

I want to begin by acknowledging the incredible vision and dedication of all the people who first brought this vital concept to life. Their greatest contribution was not just establishing protected lands but ensuring that protection was rooted in permanence and animated by collective action.  

We stand on their shoulders, grateful for the legacy of unshakeable security they created for future generations. In particular, I want to thank my predecessor, Mary Lou Tanner, who served as the Greenbelt Foundation’s board chair for four years and led us through some notable and impactful moments.  

And now, we set ourselves to a future that demands bold and inspired action to build on the Greenbelt’s protected status as we seek to strengthen and protect Ontario. At the Foundation, we know that the Greenbelt provides a unique and irreplaceable basis for a vibrant agricultural system, healthy natural landscapes, and secure water resources, while supporting the tourism and recreation that enrich Ontario’s communities. With your support, we aim to chart a clear path for the decades ahead—one defined by absolute protection, ecological vitality, and thriving rural and urban communities. 

Is there anything more important than access to clean air, water, and nutritious food? This is why the Greenbelt exists: because long before me, thoughtful leaders recognized that without permanent protection, these essential resources and the communities that depend on them would be at risk.   

Today Ontarians benefit from more than 2 million acres of protected lands—one of the largest in the world and nearly $10 billion in economic activities one of Ontario’s best-kept secrets! The Greenbelt is home to more than 75 species at risk and provides clean drinking water to over 7 million Canadians! Beyond its vital functions the Greenbelt shapes the social fabric of the region, it is where people gather to go hiking, cycling, visit local farms, connect with rural communities, enjoy local foods, or to just experience nature at its best. 

The Greenbelt is more than a policy framework. It is a vision for better living for all Ontarians. It is about more than preserving environmental, agricultural, and natural systems; it’s about realizing the full economic, health, and social benefits of the lands we live on. It isn’t just about acknowledging our Indigenous ancestors but sharing their vision of preservation of culture and care of our lands. It isn’t just about climate change, but about building climate resiliency. It isn’t just about protecting land uses, but about how smart uses of lands is the solution to affordable housing for a growing Ontario. 

The Greenbelt Foundation will continue to build partnerships with all levels of government, NGOs, Indigenous Communities, and the public to strengthen and protect Ontario’s Greenbelt. 

This is a defining moment, and I look forward to working alongside our staff, board, and partners to realize this ambitious vision. Together, we will ensure the Greenbelt remains a source of environmental health, economic vitality, and cultural richness for generations to come. 

With gratitude and determination, 
Franco Naccarato  

Before closing, the Foundation wishes to express sincere gratitude to Mary-Lou Tanner, who has served as Board Chair since 2021 and as a dedicated member of our Board since 2017. Mary-Lou’s steady leadership, deep commitment to conservation, and passion for the Greenbelt have helped shape the Foundation’s vision during a pivotal period in its history. We are profoundly grateful for her years of service, guidance, and unwavering belief in the importance of a protected and thriving Greenbelt. Her legacy will continue to strengthen the work ahead.