'Absolutely astounding': Wilmot group pushes back against newly secured land

Hannah Kavanagh · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 4:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

Critics of the Region of Waterloo's plans to acquisition farmland successful Wilmot Township for a aboriginal concern tract accidental it's "absolutely astounding" the portion continues connected with the project.

On Wednesday, the Region of Waterloo announced it has secured 70 per cent of the onshore it wants for the site. The portion noted it hasn't needfully purchased the land — alternatively the portion has entered into an statement to acquisition the land.

Wilmot Civic Action Network, oregon WilmotCAN is simply a assemblage enactment of Wilmot Township residents who advocator for the community. They've agelong been active, on with Fight for Farmland, successful the propulsion for greater transparency and accountability from the portion astir the assembly. 

According to spokesperson Kevin Thomason, that transparency has yet to beryllium seen. 

"It is conscionable perfectly astounding the bullying tactics that they've utilized close from the onset," helium said. 

The bullying Thomason is referring to is the archetypal menace of expropriation that galore of the landowners said they faced if they were unwilling to merchantability their land. He said he's not alert that immoderate of the affected parties person heard from the portion successful months. 

"Those farmers aftermath up each azygous time wondering, 'Is contiguous the time they expropriate and I suffer my farm?'"

Land needed to hole for future, portion says

In March 2024, 12 landowners of six farmland properties and six residential properties were told the region wanted to acquisition their land.

Affected landowners received compensation offers from the portion and were told that if they refused to sell, their onshore could perchance beryllium expropriated. 

In the merchandise Wednesday, the region said it is "committed to ensuring just and equitable agreements for landowners."

On Wednesday, the portion held a media briefing and sent a merchandise detailing their occurrence successful acquiring 550 of the 770 acres of onshore adjacent Nafziger Road and Bleams Road that they would crook into a shovel-ready mega-site for aboriginal development. 

Chair Karen Redman told CBC News K-W that determination is not presently an identified extremity user, meaning determination is not yet immoderate program for improvement of the land. Instead, she said it was a committedness to "preparing for the future."

Now, the portion wants the nationalist to beryllium alert that determination volition beryllium on-site investigating on the onshore they've acquired. 

"It's important for them to cognize that determination volition beryllium trucks retired connected the land. There volition beryllium boreholes being dug. There's astir apt astir 35 categories of owed diligence that we're doing," said Redman. 

WATCH | 70% of Wilmot lands secured by Region of Waterloo:

"And we promised the assemblage that we would beryllium transparent with them."

Wilmot councillors successful the past person expressed interest for the deficiency of transparency connected the onshore assembly proceedings of the region. They person said earlier that Wilmot residents look aggravated astir the drawback for its deficiency of certainty and its imaginable biology effect. 

CBC News reached retired to Wilmot councillors for remark but has not yet heard back. 

Other groups person supported the project. A radical called BestWR — comprised of the presidents of section chambers of commerce, economical development, Communitech and Explore Waterloo Region — penned an unfastened missive successful April 2024 supporting the region's plans.

They said concern opportunities were actively being lost by the region's deficiency of co-ordination and disposable space.

'What's this going to cost?'

On Thursday, WilmotCAN enactment retired 2 media releases. The archetypal was an archetypal absorption to the region's news.

The 2nd was a elaborate rebuttal of the details of the onshore grab and they raised a fewer points they said they've desperately been trying to summation clarity on. 

"What's this going to cost? Where is sewage going from and wherever is h2o coming from?" said Thomason. He said the portion has yet to reply immoderate of the questions, reports oregon Freedom of Information Acts (FOIs) they've filed successful the past. 

Redman ssaid Wednesday that the portion has mislaid retired connected different developments successful the past. She said those developments were worthy $10 billion and would person meant 5,000 jobs.

"We didn't person a mega-site that was shovel-ready, truthful they went determination else," she said. 

Thomason said helium doesn't judge determination is simply a shortage of onshore to make successful the region. 

"We person thousands of acres of improvement onshore already shovel-ready, with sidewalks, sewers, lights and roads, and they're going nowhere," helium said.