Major Concerns Raised Over Inaccuracies in Region of Waterloo Land Assembly Staff Report

Sep 25, 2024

Waterloo, ON - The Fight for Farmland Group is calling on Regional Council to reject Report PDL-ECD-24-007, citing significant inaccuracies, environmental concerns, omissions of important financial information, and a lack of transparency surrounding the Region of Waterloo's Wilmot Land Assembly process.

The key points of concern the Fight for Farmland Group would like to bring forward include:

A Complete Omission of Financial Expenditures and Costs of Unnecessary Crop Destruction This Regional Staff Report completely ignores the significant financial cost of the destruction of the bountiful corn crop and the fact that someone thought that the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars destroying food was a good use of scarce taxpayer dollars – even after local farmers approached by the Region recommended against it and refused to take on the job. 

Misleading Claims on Job Creation & Economic Impact The report paints an overly optimistic picture of job creation, claiming that the development will generate thousands of well-paying jobs. However, without an identified end-user, it is impossible to predict how many jobs will materialize. Claims of thousands of jobs and associated economic benefits lacks credibility, especially in light of automation trends in industrial sites.

Violation of the Region’s Climate Commitments The report contradicts the Region’s Growing with Care Strategic Plan, which pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. The land assembly site, located on prime agricultural land, will dramatically increase emissions due to its distant location from major urban centres and 50km round-trip commutes for many employees with few to no viable transit options as well as the new industrial activities. No evidence has been provided that any climate change considerations were factored into the decision-making process.

Destruction of Local Agriculture In July 2024, 160 acres of corn crop—just weeks from harvest—were destroyed to accommodate an archaeological assessment. Local farmers and agricultural experts contested the Region's claim that the crop was 10-16 weeks from maturity as the crop could have had immediate silage uses depending on the moisture content.  and nearby similar corn crops are already being harvested this autumn. The unnecessary destruction of this crop, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, reflects poor planning and a lack of respect for local farmers.

The arbitrary deadline was negotiated by the Region without considering the impact of the crop destruction. Why was the timing so critical when none of the other landowners are willing to sell their farms? Surely, the archeological assessment could have waited until after Doug Ford’s government agreed to approve the expropriation of the remaining land.

Better Alternatives Ignored The Ontario Job Site Challenge and the Region of Waterloo have 44 selection criteria for an industrial site. The Region ignored numerous better-suited locations, such as the East Side Employment Lands, which meet 36 out of 44 selection criteria compared to only 7 of the 44 criteria being successfully met for the Wilmot site. The decision to proceed with the Wilmot site raises serious questions about the Region’s commitment to responsible land use and what criteria were actually considered for the site.

Lack of Transparency and Public Consultation The Region has refused to release any reports or technical studies, including those related to water, sewage, transportation, rail, and environmental impacts. Freedom of Information requests for these documents were denied, fueling suspicions that these studies were never conducted. Additionally, the remaining landowners have not been consulted about the destruction of their crops or the ongoing land acquisition process.

“The Council must not accept this flawed report,” stated Alfred Lowrick, spokesperson for Fight for Farmland. “The inaccuracies and omissions are too significant and approving it will set a dangerous precedent for mismanagement and environmental harm.”

The Fight for Farmland Group demands an immediate halt to further actions on the Wilmot Land Assembly and a complete re-evaluation of the project.

“This is a clear violation of both environmental and ethical principles. The people of Wilmot Township are not a willing host for this reckless development and thousands of citizens have made their concerns very clear” Lowrick added.

“In Waterloo, we lead. The current clandestine secretive attempt to secure industrial land in Wilmot, the intentional destruction of 160 acres of corn, and the funding of a consultant to identify suitable land who never once contacted anyone in agriculture is not us.  It is not Waterloo.” Stated Mark Reusser, Vice-President of the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture. “Farmers in Waterloo Region implore our elected officials to lead, to reject this flawed report, and to follow proper, transparent planning processes to find better development locations that protects rather than destroys our irreplaceable farmland.”

Investigations

We ask the Region of Waterloo to stop the land assembly until all the ongoing investigations by the Auditor General, the Ontario Ombudsman, and the Information and Privacy Commissioner have been completed. 

Then start again. This time using an open and transparent process that includes all stakeholders and works towards finding a more appropriate site.

With the September 25 Regional Council meeting fast approaching, the group is calling on citizens to keep speaking up and Council members to take a stand for responsible land use, climate action, and public trust.

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