9. Gov’t buys up countryside

Every government is quick to tell farmers that their farmland must be protected. Unless the government wants it.

In 2025, governments at every level wanted some farmland. The municipal government of Waterloo continued its efforts to buy up 770 acres of land in Wilmot Township and has conditionally-purchased more than 50 per cent of its goal. The municipality still won’t tell landowners what it plans to do with the land.

WILMOT — The Region of Waterloo appears to be on the verge of finalizing the purchase of key chunks of farmland being assembled for still undisclosed industrial purposes in Wilmot Township.

As it attempts to amass a 770-acre swath of land in the township, the region inked conditional purchases last year for two of the biggest parcels comprising over 40 % of the total. Sometime in February (next month), those deals will officially close, which will transfer over 300 acres from two farms into region ownership.

Two community groups are calling for immediate action to protect Region of Waterloo’s water supply.

It has been a little more than a week since the Region of Waterloo revealed there is a water capacity issue in the Mannheim service area, which is made up of wells and pipes that service most of Kitchener, Waterloo, Woolwich Township and part of Wilmot Township.

The region said the Mannheim area doesn’t have enough water to support the community’s growth as the population is expected to swell to one million people by 2051.

The fight to save hundreds of acres of prime farmland in Wilmot Township has taken a new turn with news that a Quebec-based artificial intelligence company is considering the area for a large data centre.

Martin Bouchard, chief executive officer and co-founder of QScale, confirmed to Canada’s National Observer the company is evaluating several expansion opportunities in Ontario, with Wilmot Township among the shortlisted sites for a data centre.

Wilmot Township starts a new official plan and the City of Kitchener draws up plans for new suburbs in Southwest Kitchener.

Wilmot Township is under consideration as the future home for a multi-billion dollar AI data centre.

In an email to CTV News of Wednesday, Martin Bouchard, chief executive officer and co-founder of QScale, confirmed the company is ‘evaluating several expansion opportunities in Ontario.’

QScale is a company based out of Lévis, Quebec that develops AI data centres.

Wilmot farmers are ready to do whatever it takes to protect Ontario’s farmland,’ the Ontario Green Party leader said.

Ontario Greens Leader Mike Schreiner released the following statement after a tour of a local farm and kitchen table discussion in Wilmot.

“We’ve been supporting farmers in Wilmot in their fight for farmland by opposing the expropriation of their land for industrial development.

Waterloo Region says it now has 70 per cent of what it wants

WILMOT — Waterloo Region is getting closer to locking up all of the Wilmot Township farmland it has controversially targeted for future industrial development. The regional government claims to have “secured” 550 of 770 coveted acres, or 70 % of its goal, according to a May 14 press release touting the “major milestone.” That’s up from about 30 % last summer when only one of six farmers with land inside the desired area agreed to sell.

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.

Fight for Farmland continues after advocates see Region acquire more land.

John Jordan and Susanna Compton speak to Mike Farwell about the Region of Waterloo securing control to more of the 770 acres of land in the Township of Wilmot. 

Wilmot Township becomes a Special Economic Zone amid controversy over industrial expansion and potential lack of transparency, triggering community opposition and legal challenges.

Advocates are troubled by news Waterloo region continues to acquire farmland for industrial use

Municipalaties downstream of the site – where the Region of Waterloo is looking to turn 770 acres of farmland into an industrial development – may suffer the consequences, says agrologist Anne Loeffler.

A local group is pushing back and continuing to voice its disappointment after the Region of Waterloo provided an update on the Wilmot land assembly.

The region announced on May 14 it had purchased over 70 per cent of the total 770 acres it’s been pushing for, now in possession of 550 acres of land.

Erosion on a portion of farmland stripped of crops is the latest concern raised by the region’s land grab in Wilmot Township. 

Municipalities downstream of the site – where the Region of Waterloo is looking to turn 770 acres of farmland into an industrial development – may suffer the consequences, says agrologist Anne Loeffler.

An area of land purchased for the Wilmot land assembly is now facing some challenges, with a local expert saying the soil is eroding and now polluting the nearby Nith River.

It comes after the Region of Waterloo purchased the section of land last year, which covers over 151 acres. It’s just a portion of the total 770 acres currently pegged for the Wilmot land assembly.

The Region of Waterloo must prevent soil from leaving the farm it bought on Bleams Road last year. Sediment from the site is now getting into the Nith River. 

Massive infrastructure costs and the lack of planning behind them are the main talking point of the final episode of the Wilmot Land Grab documentary.

It’s time to cancel the proposed expropriation of the 770 acres in Wilmot and start over, writes John Jordan of the Wilmot Civic Action Network.

The Wilmot Civic Action Network organized the town hall meeting Thursday to share polling results on the controversial land assembly. For a year, the Region of Waterloo, the Township of Wilmot and the Province of Ontario have worked to buy and convert 770 acres of farmland into a big industrial site.