CONTINUING ADVOCACY IN WILMONT
In March 2024, some landowners and farmers in the Wilmot Township received notices on behalf of the Region of Waterloo asking them to sell their properties.
Farmers who live on the intersection of Nafziger Rd. and Bleams Rd. feel they are being forced off their land for use of future industrial projects.
There is growing outrage over the Ontario government’s mega land assembly in Wilmot Township.
Fight for Farmland highlights the lack of public meetings, studies or transparency for eight months. The community’s resistance is evident through protests, lawn signs and a film festival on Oct. 28, 2024.
Kevin Thomason, vice chair of the Grand River Environmental Network, urged continued public engagement and advocacy against the land assembly.
Despite concerns from farmers and the agricultural community, the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation (WREDC) continues forward with the Wilmot land assembly without any data.
Thomason criticized Doug Ford for deflecting blame to regional officials and noted the provincial government’s non-disclosure agreement as a barrier to information.
“Quite simply, if it’s happened to these Wilmot farmers, it could happen to farmers anywhere,” Thomason said.
There is growing outrage over the Ontario government’s mega land assembly in Wilmot Township.
“In all situations like this, where there’s significant changes like this there would have been public consultation. I don’t understand it other than them having something to hide. They went about it very inappropriately,” Alfred Lowrick, the spokesperson for Fight for Farmland said.
Following the U.S. elections, Fight for Farmland called for an immediate halt to the Wilmot Land assembly. They cite uncertainty over the project by Tony La Mantia, president and CEO of the WRDEC.
“My issue is the lack of transparency, lack of public consultation and the lack of bringing in people’s wants and needs. The farmers whom I speak for are saying it’s all well and good that you want to do this for the greater good but none of us want this. We don’t have a willing seller here,” Lowrick said.
With Trump’s intentions to roll back subsidies for electric vehicle battery plants it cast serious doubt over the need for a large-scale industrial project in Wilmot.
Electric vehicles are increasing in Canada with a record of 86,032 electric vehicles registered in 2021 and they made up 5.3 per cent of total vehicle registrations for the same year.
“The farmers, the ones who run these operations are not willing to sell. Willing seller, willing buyer. A lot of them bought their land last year in hopes of growth,” Lowrick said.
Over the past eight months, the Region of Waterloo and the Ontario government have ignored the Freedom of Information requests submitted by members of Fight for Farmland.
Ford deflects the blame for the lack of public input of the project onto Regional Chair, Karen Redman.
“There’s another farmer whose home farm is here and the land acquisition land he has is just across the street. If that happens then he loses that 100 acres, and if it happens it eliminates the farmer’s ability to farm,” Lowrick said.
The Fight for Farmland Group plans to expand its advocacy through planning more community events, rallies, council designations and broadening its media outreach. Their goal is to raise more awareness on the Wilmot land assembly so that the WREDC will halt the project altogether.
#AdrianQuijano #AlfredLowrick #DougFord #economicDevelopment #FightForFarmland #GrandRiverEnvironmentalNetwork #KarenRedman #KevinThomason #RandyMoore #TonyLaMantia #WilmotTownship #WRDEC
