Hush Hush in Wilmot (pt. 3)
Hearing from elected officials and residents
This is the third post in a series on the possible expropriation of Wilmot farmland. (Click to read part one and part two). Today, we will take a closer look at what elected officials have said to this point (it’s not much!) and what actions residents are taking to protect the threatened farmland.
The silence is broken…somewhat
While this story has been in the headlines since March, there is not much new to report on regarding input from elected officials. There have been no notices of expropriation made to date and local politicians still remain tight-lipped about what is happening in Wilmot.
Written correspondence from Regional Chair Karen Redman was shared in this Record article (you can read it in full at the end of this post). Chair Redman wrote, “Shovel-ready land is critical to securing future investment and, in turn, good jobs to support that growth. Since 2021, Waterloo Region has received numerous inquiries seeking large-scale parcels for development, speaking directly to the urgent need for this type of land,” but doesn’t provide additional details. However, she does note that, “no current or future shovel-ready lands are or will be located within the Regional Recharge area, which is critical to our water supply.”
Redman addresses concerns around the lack of response from elected officials, “While limited details can be shared at this time, more information and engagement opportunities will be provided as soon as possible and all necessary consultations will be conducted.” We are, of course, still waiting for those ‘engagement opportunities’ to occur. The major question I have is: why has the Region of Waterloo seemingly abandoned its own official plan, which was only approved last year to meet our collective housing, industrial and climate goals, in order to make this land assembly happen?
Wilmot Council and staff are not forthcoming with additional information, either. This CBC article states that Wilmot “township has confirmed councillors signed non-disclosure agreements about the project.” As shared by Luisa D’Amato, “Wilmot Township councillors and Mayor Natasha Salonen say they can’t talk about it. Salonen issued a statement saying, in part, they will take the concerns of residents to regional council.” Stewart Snyder, one of the impacted landowners, says "From day one since we got our offers, we've had no further communication from (the Township).”
We have had some provincial representatives weigh in on this issue though. As I shared in part one of this series, Premier Ford denied that there was a specific business lined up to take on these employment lands. And, while he wants municipalities to develop shovel-ready industrial sites, it must be with “willing partners.” Luisa D’Amato argues that, “Ford’s description of a voluntary assembly of land without an immediate purpose doesn’t fit with the secrecy, the urgency, and the threats of expropriation that farmers have endured if they don’t accept the low prices the region is offering.”
Vic Fedeli, the Ontario Minister of Economic Investment (and PC MPP from North Bay) recently said that “Wilmot Township is not suitable for an electric-vehicle battery plant and did not make the list of potential sites for two other big factories that will make essential parts of the batteries.” He explained that EV plants require massive amounts of water, so Wilmot was never shortlisted for one of the factories.
In part one, I referenced an open letter from BEST WR in support of expropriating this farmland. That group has since penned a second letter stating, "An important discussion is underway on assembling land in Wilmot township so the region has the option to consider multi-billion dollar investment opportunities that we have been missing out on for over a decade.” Given the silence of many local politicians and staff, I’m not convinced there is much of an actual ‘discussion’ happening.
The letter reminds us that “doing big things in spite of the comfort of the status quo is built into our community’s DNA.” It references the creation of UW, welcoming the Toyota plant, and building the LRT. The letter continues, “All of (those projects) required careful study of fairness to landowners, sensitive environmental stewardship, robust community input, and strong projections on economic benefits including job growth.” Yet, this is where I think most concerns are coming from - it doesn’t appear that any of those processes outlined above have been implemented in the potential expropriation of this farmland.
Pushing back on the plan
While many elected officials have been silent on this issue, many residents have not been. Last month, hundreds of residents attended a town hall at the Wilmot Recreation Complex (hosted by NDP leader, Marit Stiles). So many people attended that many were refused entrance due to capacity limits, and instead gathered outside.
Farmers and their neighbours were in attendance, but so were many city residents, such as Kathie Must. While she doesn't have a direct connection to the landowners, she believes this is a big issue. "I live in Waterloo and I eat food and I value what they do in Wilmot. I'm appalled at what our elected officials are doing," she said. Local chef Thompson Tran also attended. He shared, “Food is the centre of everything I do. Local food security is super important so we’ve got to fight for it. Nobody else is going to fight for it.”
At April’s Regional Council meeting, Adam van Bergeijk and one of his sons spoke about their experience and how the threat of their lands being expropriated has impacted them. (See video below).
In March, residents filled Wilmot Council Chambers to express their concerns about this farmland. While Wilmot mayor Natasha Salonen wanted to offer the group an opportunity to speak at council, she stressed that the issue “does reside at the regional level and that she plans to pass residents’ concerns to the upper tier.”
Attendee Alfred Lowrick said at that meeting, “I wouldn’t underestimate how many people are horrified about this and the impacts it could bring on our rural township in this distant, challenging location. The vast majority of the public will want to see farmland protected and this factory located in a better site, closer to the cities, with far less negative impacts.”
Some of those people horrified about this include past elected officials who helped to create and/or protect the Countryside Line as noted in this joint letter signed by 13 past politicians. The letter states, “In the last 18 months, the Countryside Line has been breached. Unnecessary urban boundary expansions have been requested by local councils, or imposed by the province. This has turned a thoughtful, long-term planning exercise into a piecemeal free-for-all that will not result in more affordable development.”
Faith Climate Justice released a statement declaring the possible expropriation of farmland as “a betrayal of farmers, of the land and of those of us who believed our regional government was committed to its vision of building sustainable communities that would protect prime agricultural areas as the region grows.” The authors argue that “this sudden proposal is shockingly incongruent with all previous long-term regional planning and efforts for good, integrated sustainable planning and public engagement.” They urge concerned residents to “write to regional and Wilmot councillors, calling on them to seek better solutions for this and future industrial expansion — solutions that centre on sustainability, transparency and trust as top priorities.”
Numerous farm organizations are speaking against any expropriation of these lands as well. A joint statement from the National Farmers Union – Ontario, the Ontario Farmland Trust, and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario outlines their concerns and demands: “Given that there are two creeks on the land proposed for development and that underground aquifers account for 80% of the region’s water supply, we demand that the Region of Waterloo and Wilmot Township solicit the expertise of the Grand River Conservation Authority regarding potential impacts on the region’s water and ecological health.”
The letter concludes, “We urge the Ontario government to pause the land assembly currently underway in the Region of Waterloo to ensure a transparent process, adequate citizen input, consistency with agricultural protections within the region’s official plan and the Provincial Policy Statement, and assessment of broader environmental, economic and social impacts. Farmers and citizens of the region deserve no less.”
The Waterloo Region Labour Council also shared their concerns in an open letter which states, “With some of the most fertile land for crop cultivation in the entire country existing in Wilmot Township, we question why the land proposed for expropriation is happening, as it is already serving an important purpose with reference to the long-term sustainability of Waterloo Region.”
Former Regional Councillor Jane Mitchell declared the Countryside Line dead in her recent blog post, where she writes, “Our cities need to grow compactly and up, not sprawl across farmland.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, several Ontario NDP and Green MPPs are concerned about the role Ford’s Conservatives have in the Wilmot farmlands. Waterloo NDP MPP Catherine Fife says Ford is demonstrating “A true lack of leadership. The Ford government couldn’t even say the words ‘farmland’ or ‘farmers,’ ignoring the economic value of this Class 1 agricultural land.”
Calling the situation unprecedented, MPP Fife also questioned where funding for these potential expropriations is coming from. The Region of Waterloo is “on the record saying they did not have any money to expropriate",” Fife says, referring to Regional Council’s rejection of staff’s recommendation (in 2023) to use tax dollars to create a $5 million “industrial land readiness fund” last fall. Fife pointed out, “You didn’t have this money back in June. You didn’t have five million dollars to land bank, now they have potentially $27-million? Where did that money come from?” (We’ll dive into this more in the next post).
Green MPPs Aislinn Clancy (Kitchener Centre) and Mike Schreiner (Guelph) recently introduced a motion “calling on the province to permanently protect farmland, and roll back the provisions of Bill 162 that opened 6,400 acres of land to new development in Waterloo Region.” However, this motion likely won’t be debated until after a decision has been made about the Wilmot Lands.
For many following this issue, they are reminded of Doug Ford’s questionable and concerning actions with the Greenbelt scandal - with some even referring to this as Greenbelt 2.0. That rings true for Kevin Thompson of the Grand River Environmental Network who says, “We were on the front lines of the Greenbelt scandal. We knew then that things just didn’t add up, didn’t pass the sniff test and just didn’t make sense. And we’re seeing that same thing again here. There’s just too much secrecy, too many things happening in closed door meetings.”
Taking Action:
The pushback from residents and some elected officials has resulted in some actionable items. MPP Catherine Fife presented a petition to the legislature last month. The petition calls for an immediate pause on all plans to expropriate and rezone lands in Wilmot Township, to respect the regional planning processes, and to prioritize environmentally conscious, sustainable development in Waterloo Region. You can access the petition here.
A recent press release from Fight for Farmland states, “Local meetings have been packed to capacity, over 30,000 signatures have been collected on petitions, hundreds of lawn signs stating opposition now line area streets, and thousands of letters, e-mails, and calls have been sent to silent municipal and regional elected officials who refuse to comment.
Visit the Fight for Farmland website for further details.
Hold the Line WR also has additional information and a link to the petition.
Thanks for reading. There is still more to dig into on this issue, so in the next post, we will take a closer look at proposed provincial legislation and the Region’s ‘industrial land readiness fund’.
Chair Redman’s response in full:
The Regional Official Plan supports the continuation of this important balance as we rapidly grow to one-million residents.
Shovel-ready land is critical to securing future investment and, in turn, good jobs to support that growth.
Through our collective effort to secure future economic prosperity, we understand that when businesses are looking at investment and/or expansion they are seeking land that is serviced and ready to go. Through engagement with local and global businesses, we understand that a lack of large-scale shovel-ready land in Waterloo Region results in businesses choosing to invest elsewhere.
Since 2021, Waterloo Region has received numerous inquiries seeking large-scale parcels for development, speaking directly to the urgent need for this type of land.
The Region and Township remain committed to balancing protecting vital agricultural lands with securing significant economic investment, supporting a high quality of life for residents. While limited details can be shared at this time, more information and engagement opportunities will be provided as soon as possible and all necessary consultations will be conducted.
Having said that, no current or future shovel-ready lands are or will be located within the Regional Recharge area, which is critical to our water supply. The Regional Official Plan protects our water sources and ensures a more than adequate supply of high-quality farmland remains. Generally speaking, this area is excellently suited for future development and investment given the proximity to arterial transportation and existing infrastructure, and the connection to Waterloo Region’s skilled workforce.
To ensure the privacy of the landowners we are not able to speak specifically about the location or size of the area at this time. Extensive due diligence is done when evaluating shovel-ready sites, and that work will continue with all partners throughout this process.
This work is about securing generational investments and creating good jobs to carry us into the future. Extensive provisions are in place to ensure we grow with care and consider all factors when moving forward.
Have you seen any comment on this yet from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture? They generally wield a heavy hammer with influence over this government (see recent proposed PPS changes on farmland severances).
Have you gotten details about which other sites are appropriate for industrial development in the region of Waterloo? I reached out to Alfred Lowrick who is quoted on the fightforfarmland.com website and got a non-answer back.