Importance of public green spaces

I moved to Guelph in late 2019. Soon after we experienced the lockdowns due to COVID. I have always valued public green spaces, but never more during this time. With schools closed and indoor spaces restricted I spent a lot of time taking my children to public green spaces like the Yorklands. The Yorklands has been a space that I have gone to destress. It is a place I go to walk, bike, meet with friends, draw, and paint. Its diversity of unique natural and man made features make it a particularly valuable space for the whole community to enjoy. Once we develop over these spaces, we can't get them back. As the population in the area continues to grow these spaces will only become more essential to people's quality of life.