Farmers fill Wilmot council chamber in opposition to land assembly
There wasn’t a parking spot to be had behind Baden’s Castle Kilbride on Monday evening as farmers converged on Wilmot’s administrative headquarters to have their say and try to get answers about a secretive land assembly process underway for industrial purposes.
“I have to admit, I’m stunned that there are so many people here,” said Mark Reusser, president of the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture. “It tells me there’s some hope.”
About 100 people packed the council chamber, with dozens more spilling downstairs and lining the sidewalk outside, some carrying signs that read “No Paving over Farmland” and “Save Our Homes.”
“Thank you, everybody, for coming out tonight,” said Adam van Bergeijk, a local dairy farmer, owner of Mountainoak Cheese, and one of about a dozen property owners who were approached by a consultant and offered money for their land, with the ultimatum of expropriation if an amicable settlement isn’t reached.
The date for accepting offers has passed and a core group of landowners has formed for what a spokesperson has called “the fight of their lives.”
The lands in question are 312 hectares of prime farmland between Wilmot Center and Nafziger Road, south of Highway 7/8 and north of Bleams Road.
The group of landowners has retained legal counsel and recently hosted a community meeting. A new website, fightforfarmland.com has been created along with a petition that has around 5,000 signatures so far.
“From an elected official perspective, 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 group’s spokesperson Alfred Lowrick reiterated, in a presentation similar to one he delivered to Waterloo Region council last week.
Local politicians have signed nondisclosure agreements and remain tight lipped about the process that came without any public notification or consultation and involves the Ontario Realty Corporation.
The township and region released a joint statement confirming they are working with higher levels of government to assemble shovel-ready land for a large investment.
“The council and the regional government are entrusted to advocate for their constituents, and, unfortunately, all have been noticeably silent as no one really has any answers,” said Lowrick, who noted landowners were approached independently two weeks ago by a consultant on behalf of the region and given an “absurd” timeline of March 20 to accept offers, with the goal of reaching full land acquisition by August.
The landowners’ group has been expanded to include other affected citizens in the area, Lowrick said.
Tim and Eva Wagler’s 41-hectare farm is located across the road from the properties in question and the couple worries about its water source.
“The creek runs naturally through and feeds our pond we use for pumping out water on our fields,” said Tim. “We spent all this money on a municipal drain last year.”
Wilmot mayor Natasha Salonen said she wanted to offer the group an opportunity to speak at council, but said the issue “does reside at the regional level” and that she plans to pass residents’ concerns to the upper tier.