Region says it's got 70% of Wilmot industrial site, but details remain elusive
Waterloo Region's latest update on its plans to turn 770 acres of Wilmot farmland into an industrial park left the public with more questions than answers, say opponents.
In a restrictive press conference on May 14, officials announced they have secured more than 70 per cent of the farmland. The wording was ambiguous about whether or not the region had actually bought the land, said environmentalist Kevin Thomason.
'You'll notice the region never said they bought the land or owned the land. It just said they've secured access to the land, so they can go on and study the land.
'They kept trying to convince us and say that it's all this sort of doublespeak. You've got to read between the lines, and you've got to try to see what they're saying. They're not telling the truth. And the press release they sent out is full of misinformation.'
Last week's event was only the second one held by the region, prompting Thomason to note there's a good reason the region received a dishonourable mention for the Canadian Association of Journalists' Code of Silence Award for Government Secrecy.
'How can this be in the best public interest? And why is our region doing this to our own public, the region that, in the past, has always been the leader in the province and now being called out as the laggard in the entire country?' added Thomason.
In the press release, the region mentions the need for shovel-ready land that is capable of supporting large-scale development projects.
'Reaching this major milestone gets us significantly closer to securing long-term investment and economic prosperity locally,' said Chair Karen Redman in the release. 'It's imperative, now more than ever, that Waterloo Region be ready to support Canadian manufacturing and well-paying, local jobs.'
Thomason took issue with that claim, calling it false and noting that Waterloo Region has thousands of acres of shovel-ready land sitting vacant. He added that Wilmot Township itself has 95 acres in its industrial park that have sat vacant for 23 years without a single lot sold, for example.
'We've got thousands of acres, and there are just so many things that, right from the beginning, show that this has just been such a bungled fiasco by the region,' said Thomason.
The region said last week it's committed to beginning to do its due diligence on these areas. Officials also mentioned that they would continue planting on the lands where appropriate and that no existing crops would be removed and would be harvested once ready.
That policy reverses last summer's decision to destroy 160 acres of feed corn on land it had acquired. The bare land was allowed to sit empty with no cover crop, leading to soil erosion difficulties this spring.
'No farmer in the world would leave their fields bare and exposed to the weather for nine months straight, like the region has done,' said Thomason.
The region said in the release that we have missed out on major employers who have gone elsewhere due to the 'absence of large, shovel-ready sites.'
To date, the region has not listed an employer needing a 700-acre site that has decided not to settle down in Waterloo. The two common examples brought up are Schneider's and Dr. Oetker, which were 50 acres or smaller, and Waterloo has many readily available sites of that size, noted Thomason.
The region continues to tout the benefits, saying the site meets 'global standards and offers strategic advantages,' which they listed as: a large, contiguous development footprint, immediate access to Highway 7/8 and arterial transportation routes, existing hydro, water, and wastewater infrastructure, location outside water protection areas, proximity to Waterloo Region's skilled workforce and world-class post-secondary institutions, and tech sector.
Thomason told The Observer that the advantages listed by the regions are all incorrect.
He pointed to claims that the site has a large contiguous development footprint, noting that the site is bisected by roadways, a major hydro corridor and several streams.
Thomason said there would be no readily available workforce given that the site is 50-km round trip for anyone from KW or Cambridge, adding that there's already a labour shortage.
Also problematic, he said, was the lack of infrastructure, which would require a massive cost to build.
'There's no water there. There's no sewage there. There's no road or transportation infrastructure. They say it's on a highway, but that highway doesn't even go to the border,' added Thomason.
'You've got a factory with a thousand trucks daily or whatever coming to it. They're going to have to wind their way all through the streets of Kitchener or whatever to try to get on the 401, go west to Detroit or other places.'
The Fight for Farmland opposition efforts are as important today as they were when the project came to light, he added.
'The need… is greater than ever. The need for the community to push back is greater than ever, and that's exactly what's happening,' said Thomason.
'We're going to fight for the better future that we know we need, and not be destroyed by this secret backroom plan that no one has had any input on.'
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