News

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

Urban planning and home building have seldom been in a bigger mess, says a retired urban planner who oversaw the region’s award-winning smart-growth plans.

“The rules change every day, it is harder and harder to keep up with it,” said Kevin Eby, who recently received the Watershed Guardian of the Year Award from the Ontario Headwaters Institute. The institute is a provincial organization that promotes watershed security, and ecological integrity.

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.

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

Wilmot Township will be the first “Special Economic Zone” in southern Ontario where local and provincial governments can ignore official plans, environmental regulations and land-development laws to pave the way for new industries, says the head of a community group.

The Region of Waterloo says it has secured control of 550 acres of land in Wilmot Township for a future industrial site covering the 770 acres bordered by Bleams Road, Nafziger Road, Highway 7 and Wilmot Centre Road.

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.

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.

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.

“This is good news, this is an investment in our future,” said Regional Chair with the Region of Waterloo, Karen Redman. “This is getting ready to be a million people and having the kind of investment that will retain talent and create jobs for the future.”

The Wilmot Civic Action Network (Wilmot CAN) released a statement to 570 NewsRadio in response, calling it a “massive waste of precious taxpayer dollars.”

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

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 portion of the land acquired by the region was stripped of its healthy corn crop in the summer of 2024. Loeffler says she tried to warn the region of the possible negative effects.

“I pointed this out to the region last fall and said this could be a real problem waiting to happen.”

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.

“You remember that while conducting due diligence on the land purchase, the region hired a contractor to destroy the standing corn crop,” Anne Loeffler, a retired Conservation Specialist and Professional Agrologist, said. “The contractor repeatedly tilled the land, and this left the soil bare, shattered, and highly vulnerable to erosion.”

She said this isn’t a new issue and didn’t come as a surprise, adding that she notified the region of the potential implications of overtilling the land last year.

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.

Soil from the farm on Bleams Road the Region of Waterloo bought last year is being eroded and sediment is getting into the Nith River, says a soil conservation expert.

Anne Loeffler said the region must take immediate steps to prevent more sediment from getting into the river because it degrades the water quality for thousands of people living downstream.

“The region needs to step up and be a responsible landowner,” said Loeffler in an interview Tuesday.

For more than a year the Region of Waterloo, Wilmot Township and the Province of Ontario have tried to assemble 770 acres of land bordered by Bleams Road, Nafziger Road, Highway 7/8 and Wilmot Centre Road. They want to create a large, shovel-ready industrial site.

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.

The Wilmot Civic Action Network released ‘Unearthed Part 3: The Wilmot Land Grab – Water, Infrastructure, and the True Cost to You’ on April 4.

The first two parts of Unearthed received more than 50,000 views across platforms as people explored the story behind Waterloo Region’s bid to turn some 770 acres of farmland in the area of Nafziger and Bleams roads south of New Hamburg into an industrial site.

A major part of the Wilmot land-grab story that people tend not to look is simply how massive the project’s scope is, says project opponent Kevin Thomason, featured in all three episodes of the documentary, noting that it’s more than just a factory on the edge of town.

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.

Luisa D’Amato’s superficial analysis of the election results does not mean the proposed Wilmot land assembly moves forward. D’Amato gave two reasons — an election victory she defined as “decisive” and new information that the land assembly may be for Toyota.

She overlooks the strength of community opposition, the lack of proper planning, the significant site challenges, and the economic uncertainty that surrounds such a project proceeding.

Let’s deal first with the vote for Mike Harris Jr.

A majority of voters supported the three other candidates who oppose the Wilmot land assembly. Some people who voted for Harris told WilmotCAN while they oppose his support for the land assembly, they voted for him for other reasons including tariff concerns and international trade.

Wilmot Township, ON – A new group of concerned residents has formed to support the farmers in Wilmot township whose lands are being targeted by the regional government for an undisclosed industrial project.

Since the Wilmot Civic Action Network (WilmotCAN) formed in December 2024, members have been raising awareness about the land grab and demanding accountability from local politicians.

Beyond delegating to municipal councils, and confronting provincial politicians at public events, the group has also co-ordinated the creation of two mini-documentaries about the issue. A third video in the “Unearthed” series is in production.

This show features an interview with John Jordan, a founding member of WilmotCAN and a direct neighbour of the land targeted for purchase by the regional government. Jordan spoke to CKMS News about the Wilmot Civic Action Network, the mini-documentary series they are producing, and the lack of transparency around the project.

“The Wilmot Land Grab” is the title of a new three-part mini-documentary chronicling the opposition to Waterloo Region’s plan to turn 770 acres of Wilmot farmland into an industrial site.

“The Wilmot Land Grab” is the title of a new three-part mini-documentary chronicling the opposition to Waterloo Region’s plan to turn 770 acres of Wilmot farmland into an industrial site.

The first two parts have been released. Episode one touches on the project’s lack of transparency and non-disclosure agreements. Part two examines the “farm-to-fork “journey and emphasizes the need to protect prime farmland.

John Jordan, who works with Wilmot Civic Action Network (WilmotCAN) and is one of the executive producers on the doc, told The Observer the project started with a suggestion from his wife.

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.

More than 120 people packed Zion United Church in New Hamburg Thursday night to pressure provincial election candidates to oppose the controversial land assembly in Wilmot Township.

Susanna Compton, who grew up on a farm on Nafziger Line across from the 770 acres of land the Region of Waterloo, the Province of Ontario and Wilmot Township are trying to assemble for a big industrial site, said the move will destabilize the agriculture sector around Waterloo Region.

A recent poll conducted by Pallas Data between Jan. 30 and 31, reveals overwhelming opposition among Wilmot residents to expropriation of 770 acres of farmland for a mega-industrial site. The data comes as concerns continue to swirl around the Region of Waterloo’s plan to assemble a large parcel of land for potential future developments. Community members have repeatedly spoken out against the process, citing worries about the loss of agricultural land, any potential environmental impact and a perceived lack of transparency.

During previous interviews with CTV News Kitchener, Regional Chair Karen Redman confirmed the region is trying to buy some of the land, however she added although expropriation is a tool the region can use, it is not a tool they want to use.

Despite her assertions, some community members are worried about the threat of potential expropriation.

A new survey concludes that a strong majority of Wilmot residents and voters in Kitchener Conestoga are opposed to plans for a large industrial site.

According to the poll by Pallas Data, 51 per cent of Wilmot residents believe Wilmot Council should pass a resolution opposing the Region of Waterloo’s plan to expropriate 770 acres of farmland in the township. Forty-one per cent said they disagreed with the idea of a resolution and eight per cent were unsure.

Pallas Data out of Toronto and Pallas Data was hired by the group Wilmot Civic Action Network (CAN) to conduct the poll. It was conducted between Jan. 30-31 via automated telephone interviews and included a sample of 302 adults living in the riding of Kitchener Conestoga.

The community group Wilmot Civic Action Network hired the polling firm Pallas to ask residents how they feel about the land assembly underway in the township. More than 70 percent are opposed or strongly opposed to creating a large industrial site on farmland.

More than half of the residents of Wilmot Township want their local councillors to pass a resolution opposing the assembly of 770 acres of farmland for a large industrial site, according to the results of a poll commissioned by the Wilmot Civic Action Network.

And 61 per cent of the respondents say local, regional and provincial governments have not adequately consulted the public about the assembling the farms and residential properties in an area bordered by Bleams Road, Nafziger Road, Highway 7 and Wilmot Centre Road.

The Region of Waterloo has spent about $18.1 million to buy four properties in Wilmot Township in the past 11 months — a small fraction of the 770 acres it wants for a large industrial site.

Land title records show the region bought 161 acres of farmland at 3060 Bleams Rd. for $12.1 million — or about $75,000 an acre — and three residential properties.

This is the property where the region plowed under a corn crop early last summer, many months before it acquired the land Dec. 9, 2024. The region says it had to plow under the crop to better assess the land for an industrial site.

The farmers and their supporters viewed it as high-handed and destructive. They organized a protest, driving a line a tractors into downtown Kitchener and parking outside the Region of Waterloo headquarters on Frederick Street.

The price of the farmland is more than twice the amount it first offered the farmers about a year ago. The deal closed just days after regional council approved a 2025 budget of $2.4 billion, with a tax increase of 9.48 per cent.

A new group of concerned citizens is adding their voices to the chorus of people speaking out against the Region of Waterloo’s plan to convert 770 acres of agricultural land into a plot for future development.

The Wilmot Civic Action Network is primarily made up of neighbours and community members who want to stand alongside the farmers by taking their message to the screen and producing a mini-documentary series.

“We felt there needed to be a more, I don’t want to say forceful – a stronger voice in regard to the farmers, and advocating for what’s going on here with the Wilmot land assembly,” said John Jordan with the Wilmot Civic Action Network.

Jordan lives across the road from one of the properties included in the land acquisition.

“We want to be the voice in conjunction with the farmers,” he told CTV News Friday. “[We want to] take a little bit of the stress away from them, that they’re not having to deal with the day-to-day issues and the advocacy and the protests and everything that has been going on.”