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Hamilton Spectator
22-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
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.'
CBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Absolutely astounding': Wilmot group pushes on against newly secured land
Social Sharing Critics of the Region of Waterloo's plans to purchase farmland in Wilmot Township for a future industrial site say it's "absolutely astounding" the region continues on with the project. On Wednesday, the Region of Waterloo announced it has secured 70 per cent of the land it wants for the site. The region noted it hasn't necessarily purchased the land — instead the region has entered into an agreement to purchase the land. Wilmot Civic Action Network, or WilmotCAN is a community organization of Wilmot Township residents who advocate for the community. They've long been active, along with Fight for Farmland, in the push for greater transparency and accountability from the region about the assembly. According to spokesperson Kevin Thomason, that transparency has yet to be seen. "It is just absolutely astounding the bullying tactics that they've used right from the onset," he said. The bullying Thomason is referring to is the initial threat of expropriation that many of the landowners said they faced if they were unwilling to sell their land. He said he's not aware that any of the affected parties have heard from the region in months. "Those farmers wake up every single day wondering, 'Is today the day they expropriate and I lose my farm?'" Land needed to prepare for future, region says In March 2024, 12 landowners of six farmland properties and six residential properties were told the region wanted to purchase their land. Affected landowners received compensation offers from the region and were told that if they refused to sell, their land could potentially be expropriated. In the release Wednesday, the region said it is "committed to ensuring fair and equitable agreements for landowners." On Wednesday, the region held a media briefing and sent a release detailing their success in acquiring 550 of the 770 acres of land near Nafziger Road and Bleams Road that they would turn into a shovel-ready mega-site for future development. Chair Karen Redman told CBC News K-W that there is not currently an identified end user, meaning there is not yet any plan for development of the land. Instead, she said it was a commitment to "preparing for the future." Now, the region wants the public to be aware that there will be on-site testing along the land they've acquired. "It's important for them to know that there will be trucks out on the land. There will be boreholes being dug. There's probably about 35 categories of due diligence that we're doing," said Redman. 70% of Wilmot lands secured by Region of Waterloo 5 hours ago Duration 2:26 Regional Chair Karen Redman says the region has secured 70 per cent of the 312 hectares of land it needs to create an industrial site in Wilmot Township. The region has been working since March 2024 to buy the land, which includes residential and farm properties. Redman explains why the region needs the site. "And we promised the community that we would be transparent with them." Wilmot councillors in the past have expressed concern for the lack of transparency on the land assembly proceedings of the region. They have said before that Wilmot residents seem angry about the grab for its lack of certainty and its potential environmental effect. CBC News reached out to Wilmot councillors for comment but has not yet heard back. Other groups have supported the project. A group called BestWR — comprised of the presidents of local chambers of commerce, economic development, Communitech and Explore Waterloo Region — penned an open letter in April 2024 supporting the region's plans. They said business opportunities were actively being lost by the region's lack of co-ordination and available space. 'What's this going to cost?' On Thursday, WilmotCAN put out two media releases. The first was an initial reaction to the region's news. The second was a detailed rebuttal of the details of the land grab and they raised a few points they said they've desperately been trying to gain clarity on. "What's this going to cost? Where is sewage going from and where is water coming from?" said Thomason. He said the region has yet to answer any of the questions, reports or Freedom of Information Acts (FOIs) they've filed in the past. Redman ssaid Wednesday that the region has lost out on other developments in the past. She said those developments were worth $10 billion and would have meant 5,000 jobs. "We didn't have a mega-site that was shovel-ready, so they went somewhere else," she said. Thomason said he doesn't believe there is a shortage of land to develop in the region.
