The region needs to be more transparent about why it is acquiring land, say 2 Wilmot councilors

Two Wilmot councilors are calling on the Region of Waterloo to be more transparent about its plans to purchase agricultural land in the borough.

Ward 3 Co. Harvir Sidhu and Ward 2 Coun. On Wednesday morning, Kris Wilkinson gathered at City Hall to discuss the ongoing farmland controversy.

“We have heard the voices of our community loud and clear over the last few months. The people of Wilmot are furious. They are angry that farmers and landowners have not been treated fairly and with respect during the ongoing land grab. Honestly, it just comes down to respect or lack thereof,” Sidhu said.

In March, 12 owners of six agricultural land and six residential properties were informed by the Region of Waterloo of plans to purchase their land. In total, the region covers 770 acres (about 312 hectares) of land in Wilmot Township near the intersection of Nafziger Road and Bleams Road, south of New Hamburg.

If landowners refused to sell, they were told that their land would be expropriated. The region said it needed land for future industrial projects, but did not provide details.

One landowner has decided to sell, and the sale of two others is pending. This would represent less than one percent of the 770 acres sought.

Wilmot Township Ward 2 Coun. Kris Wilkinson addresses the crowd at Wednesday morning’s town hall. (Karis Mapp/CBC)

“I stand before you today and have called on the Region of Waterloo to disclose the technical details in full transparency and let residents know why this facility is being built,” Sidhu said.

“Farmers are hard-working people. They contribute so much to our little rural community and honestly, that’s enough. We have two requests. Post the technical details, come and talk to us,” Wilkinson said.

Wilmot Mayor Natasha Salonen was not at Wednesday’s event, but in a statement provided to CBC News, she said she agreed with the concerns expressed by councilors.

“It is no secret that our residents have many outstanding questions regarding the regional land collection in Wilmot Township. “I echo the concerns expressed by Sidhu County and Wilkinson County regarding this process,” Salonen’s statement said.

“I continue to work behind the scenes advocating for landowners to be respected throughout the process, and I will continue to advocate for the region to share information with the public.”

The landowners had the opportunity to share their concerns and ask questions to two councilors present at the town hall. (Karis Mapp/CBC)

The region will share more information “as the project progresses”

CBC News reached out to the Region of Waterloo for comment and received an emailed statement that reiterated that “the land assembly effort is a generational project for our region’s economic future.”

During the recent State of the Region address, Regional Chair Karen Redman stated that the community would grow to one million people by 2050.

“As the land development project continues, the region is engaged in ongoing discussions with landowners, which remain confidential and are common practice in professional real estate negotiations,” a statement from the region sent Wednesday said. “We want to share more information as the project progresses.”

When affected landowners were asked about communication with the region at Wednesday’s town hall, they said they hadn’t heard anything.

“Nothing. Even our lawyers,” said Adam Van Bergeijk, former president of Moutainoak Cheese.

A spokesman for the landowner, Alfred Lowrick, says 21 freedom of information requests have been submitted to find out more about the closed-door meetings held in the region, and they are waiting for the results of those requests.

– We have nothing to say – says the councilor

We are approaching 14 weeks since the land owners received the first notices of expropriation.

Wilkinson said that while council members are privy to some details, it is not their responsibility to make decisions.

“It’s not that we necessarily know what’s going on, it’s just that the details that we were told were revealed to us in closed session. Out of respect for the municipal law and our work, we must respect it or you will suffer the consequences,” he said.

“A lot of details and a lot of elements that we are aware of, but we have nothing to say or discuss about it.”

Meanwhile, Sidhu says he has been thinking about this issue a lot lately, especially after talking to the people he represents.

“I was actually hospitalized for 10 days earlier this month. So I had a lot of time to sit there and do some soul searching. I really understand and have come to terms with what I do as a councilor,” he said.

“I trusted the process. We gave (the region) its fair share. We followed his rules and in the end I don’t see anything changing. That’s when I made the decision that now is the time to come out and speak up.”

About 50 landowners came to the town hall on Wednesday morning on the plot affected by the disaster. (Karis Mapp/CBC)

The next two landowner town halls are tentatively scheduled for June 20 and 27 at the Wilmot Recreation Complex.

“It would be a great opportunity for the region to come out and listen to farmers,” Sidhu said.

“I think if there was a more open and fair process, more people would be understanding and there wouldn’t be such a secret.”