Waterloo Region has fallen behind the intended timelines of its contentious effort to acquire hundreds of acres of farmland in Wilmot, Ont. for a major industrial investment, according to the province's economic development minister.
The regional municipality hasn't met "joint objectives of timing," said Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Minister Vic Fedeli on Tuesday. As a result, "timelines for (the region) have been extended several times," the economic development minister added.
While hired representatives of the region have reportedly told farmers that their properties could be expropriated if they won't sell them, Fedeli said the Ford government hasn't approved that as a means of acquiring Wilmot land.
Under Ontario law, Waterloo Region would need the provincial government's approval to expropriate land.
"That approval has never been granted for Wilmot," Fedeli said on Tuesday. "Nor were we consulted when the suggested use of expropriation was made."
Fedeli was questioned about the Wilmot land assembly project by NDP MPP Catherine Fife during a meeting by the finance and economic affairs committee on Tuesday. Fife is the MPP for Waterloo, near where the regional municipality has been buying up land for potential industrial use.
In response to followup questions The Trillium sent Fedeli's office related to the comments he made on Tuesday about the Wilmot land assembly plan, a spokesperson did not answer them. "The minister’s comments from (Tuesday)’s meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs stand," his spokesperson said in an email.
Waterloo Region is looking to purchase 770 acres "to create a large-scale, shovel-ready site that is attractive to a major employer," its website says. The provincial government is helping fund the regional municipality's buy-up of land. It's currently unclear which company could take over the site.
"There is no anchor (company)," Fedeli said on Tuesday.
"This land assembly is not occurring for any business/end user in particular at this time," says Waterloo Region's website.
In explaining on its website why it's assembling the site in Wilmot, Waterloo Region says, "The provincial government put a call to communities across Ontario to create shovel-ready land to attract investment."
"At the same time, the Region of Waterloo engaged both the local and global business community to better understand current needs and potential future opportunities for Waterloo Region," its website continues. "It was clear, having an inventory of large-scale, shovel-ready land is essential for businesses to invest or expand in Waterloo Region."
The plan has faced intense pushback from local landowners, opposition parties, and environmental groups. They've argued that farmland shouldn't be taken over and decried the secrecy of the plan.
In March, local news outlets reported that a representative of a consulting firm hired by the region met with several landowners and told them it wanted to purchase their land for a fair price but would expropriate their properties if it had to.
In mid-July, the region said in a news release that it had negotiated the purchase of nearly one-third of the 770-acre site.
A couple of weeks later, the region paid to have over 100 acres of corn on one of the properties it acquired plowed, fuelling local opposition.
In a joint statement in mid-August, Fedeli and Mike Harris Jr., minister of red tape reduction and PC MPP for the riding that includes Wilmot, said events in Wilmot, including "particularly the threat of expropriation" were "disappointing." They added that they "wholeheartedly support municipalities in their efforts to attract (major) investments and create good-paying jobs," but that "they must always be conducted in a fair and respectful manner."
Waterloo Region's web page of information about the plan does not rule out the use of expropriation, instead saying it's "committed to engaging with the landowners involved in this project and it is our goal to reach fair and equitable agreements for all landowners."
