Wilmot land assembly a betrayal of a sacred trust

Farmers and rural folk aren’t the only ones appalled by the Region of Waterloo’s move to expropriate 770 acres of prime farmland in Wilmot Township.

Faith communities share a common respect for the natural world as a sacred trust, as demonstrated by the many members of Faith Climate Justice who campaigned alongside thousands of others to support regional initiatives such as 50x30, the TransformWR Climate Action Strategy and the Waterloo Region Official Plan.

Imagine our dismay when we learned that the same regional government we imagined was at the forefront of bold climate leadership and community care was working through Canacre, a company hired to complete a land assembly that would destroy productive farms, some of which have been in their families for generations!

This sudden proposal is shockingly incongruent with all previous long-term regional planning and efforts for good, integrated sustainable planning and public engagement. No sort of development, let alone a massive industrial site, had ever been contemplated in this distant, rural part of Wilmot Township — far from necessary infrastructure, transportation, water, sewage, power and workforce requirements.

It is prime agricultural land far from a protective countryside line, which should mean it’s some of the most secure in Canada — particularly if we value food production.

This decision feels like a betrayal of farmers, of the land and of those of us who believed our regional government was committed to its vision of building sustainable communities that would protect prime agricultural areas as the region grows.

Whether or not the province is obliging the region to take this action — forcing farmers to sell their land and homes for unreasonably low offers on absurdly short timelines — it’s clear we all need to speak out. If the region (and province) is willing to break trust now, how can we expect them to act in the future?

This is not how any democratically elected government should be acting, whatever the reasons. Instead, there should be far clearer public processes with full transparency, providing opportunity for all people in our regional communities to weigh in prior to any significant decisions.

Regional Chair Karen Redman stated, “This area is excellently suited for future development and investment given the proximity to arterial transportation and existing infrastructure and the connection to Waterloo Region’s skilled workforce.” We do not agree! Much better options appear to be available for industrial use, making this seizure of valuable farmland doubly perplexing. There are existing brownfield or greyfield sites, reclaimed aggregate pits or lower-quality lands, all much closer to major urban centres and with the necessary infrastructure, that would have far less negative social and environmental impacts.

The region has demonstrated inspiring action in the past; yet this proposal to expropriate and rezone prime farmland for a purpose yet to be revealed seems deeply flawed and is terrible both for food security and climate action.

We expect the region to stand up for what they committed to: building sustainable communities aligned with our approved official plan, a climate action target to see a 50-per-cent emissions reduction by 2030, and following TransformWR to help us reach these targets. Waterloo Region can do this in part by protecting prime farmland and wisely stewarding natural heritage.

After all, how can governments expect inspired citizen action for sustainability if the governments themselves aren’t modelling this leadership?

We urge all residents to write to regional and Wilmot councillors, calling on them to seek better solutions for this and future industrial expansion — solutions that centre on sustainability, transparency and trust as top priorities.