Keeping the “Natural” in Huron Natural Area
Guest post by Ray Angod
Ray Angod is our guest contributor this week. After a five-year stint in Japan, Ray decided to settle with his family in Kitchener in 2019 as it offered a wonderful balance of natural beauty with the conveniences of a modern city. He is the General Manager at EMKAL Inc., and in his spare time he enjoys pickleball, designing board games with his kids, and joining conservation initiatives.
Thanks to Ray for taking the time to share his concerns about the Huron Natural Area.
A Shrinking Sanctuary in a Growing City
If you’re a resident of Southwest Kitchener, you’ve likely been to, or at least heard of, Huron Natural Area (HNA). Located in Ward 5 in southern Kitchener, HNA is a protected forest and wetland, a home to a wide range of species, a network of trails, the site of an ancient Indigenous settlement, and a popular place of recreation among locals of all ages. When you are walking the trails, the 250 acres feel boundless and it’s easy to forget that you are in a city of over a quarter million people. However, the actual boundaries are not as limitless as they may seem. As our city grows, there are continued pressures to build over the surrounding natural areas in the hopes of attracting redevelopment.
Coming Soon to a Protected Wetland Near You
The most recent proposed industrial development project is the 38-acre parcel to the east of HNA, consisting of two adjoining lots. Back in the 1980s, the larger lot was supposed to be the site of a Maple Leaf hog slaughtering facility. However, these plans fell through, and this land parcel remained dormant until 2018 when the City sold both lots to Gateman-Milloy for $3.9 million.
The developer’s plan is to use about 25 acres to build 10 lots, extend McBrine drive south, and add an access road to Strasburg. To the west, directly adjacent to the Provincial Significant Wetland (PSW) of HNA, a little less than 10 acres will become an artificial wetland as a substitute for the four existing wetlands which will be razed as part of this construction.
How “Vacant” is This Vacant Land?
In 2019, Natural Resource Solutions studied this land and identified plentiful biodiversity: numerous bird species, frogs, mammals, butterflies, and even rare crayfish. They also noted 149 plant species.
So… Is It a Wetland?
The four wetlands on the property are right next to the PSW. Normally, nearby wetlands can be grouped together (called wetland complexing) if they act as one ecosystem, such as helping wildlife move between habitats. However, a consulting firm, GHD, penned a letter to The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), stating the case that these wetlands aren’t connected and that no significant wildlife is present. The MNRF cited this rationale in their decision to not include these wetlands for complexing with the PSW.
What Was Missed?
Earlier surveys concluded that two of the wetland areas are likely turtle corridors, with over 90 turtle nests found on the subject lands and evidence of the threatened Snapping Turtle nesting there. There were also probable signs of breeding and a suitable habitat for the Grasshopper Sparrow, which is classified as “special concern provincially and federally”.
However, when GHD contacted the MNRF about not including these wetlands in the PSW complex, they stated that provincially significant species were not present in the subject lands, even though site surveys revealed evidence of the Snapping Turtle and the Grasshopper Sparrow. GHD also did not report on the movement corridors.
Building on Vacant Land in a High Vacancy Landscape
If Kitchener is in dire need of more industrial space, one could dubiously turn a blind eye to a touch of exaggeration for the sake of pushing this project over the finish line.
This begs the question: how desperately does Kitchener need more industrial spaces? This was addressed in a recent JLL report which concluded that Kitchener’s industrial vacancy rate was 7.3% in Q2-2025, the second highest in Southwestern Ontario. In real terms, this amounts to 1.4 million square feet of available industrial space - equivalent to two Conestoga Malls.
A similar Cushman & Wakefield report corroborated these findings with falling asking rents in each quarter since mid-2023, even in an inflationary economy. Colliers Canada provided matching insights with Kitchener sporting a -9% in rental rate growth, the lowest in Southwestern Ontario.
These trends are not only affecting Kitchener, but it’s also a national phenomenon according to the Real Estate Institute of Canada. They claim that the industrial real estate market must “brace for a hard landing”. Contributing factors include higher tariffs and e-commerce hitting a ceiling, where “a significant portion of new industrial space under construction is speculative, with over 65% of projects lacking pre-leased tenants”.
Perhaps a reason to proceed despite these findings could be that there is not enough vacant industrial space in this particular area of Kitchener to support burgeoning demand. However, a search for industrial properties in realtor.ca in September showed quite the opposite. Within a 2.5km radius of the subject lands, over 800,000 sq ft of industrial space was available for lease or sale. Of the whopping 10 available properties, the largest is 530 Manitou Drive at the corner of Manitou and Homer Watson, which has over 350,000 sq ft of industrial space and has been on the market for over a year. A close runner-up is one kilometer northwest at 120 Bullock Street at the corner of Homer Watson and Bleams, which still has 220,000 sq ft available for lease and has been on the market for over 550 days.
Considering this large volume of vacant industrial space near the subject lands, the idea that we need even more industrial land seems to lack evidence.
All Opposed, Say “Nay”
The net loss caused by this development will be the permanent removal of habitat and nesting areas for provincially and federally significant species adjacent to a PSW. The net gain will be more industrial space in, what seems to be, an over-supplied, under-demand market in an uncertain economic environment.
Weighing the pros and cons, it’s not surprising that some residents are voicing their opposition to this proposed development. The petition on change.org has gathered over 3,500 signatures as of early October and that number continues to rise daily, and all are encouraged to read and sign if they share similar concerns. There is also a Linktree available with additional resources and ways you can help. Finally, you can contact your councillor to express concerns.
The Huron Natural Area is a true treasure in Kitchener, representing our history and acting as a place to gather as a community. I believe cutting away the edges in the name of unnecessary development weakens our city identity. If you would prefer to see the area surrounding HNA untouched, let your voice be heard and stand up for our natural spaces.
Thanks again to Ray for sharing! If you have an issue that you’d like to write about which you think Citified readers should be aware of, please reach out to me by replying to this post or leaving a comment online.