About 10 companies interested in Wilmot land, says Minister of Economic Investment
Ontario’s Minister of Economic Investment, Job Creation and Trade says a number of companies have shown interest in a tract of land the Region of Waterloo is trying to assemble in Wilmot Township.
In March, Wilmot land owners say they were approached by regional representatives who were looking to buy land for large-scale investments that have not been made public. The land being considered is located between Nafziger Road, Bleams Road and Wilmot Centre Road.
A map shows the land the Region of Waterloo wants to buy. (Graphic by Hayden Phillips/CTV Kitchener)
“I have understood that since all of this discussion has become public, there’s about ten prospects that the region or the municipality or the township has discovered from people contacting them for their site,” Minister Victor Fedeli said in an interview Friday.
“I think that’s a really great opportunity. When you have a manufacturing linchpin in a community, that’s how hospitals and schools and roads and infrastructure – that’s how it gets built.”
The minister said the Wilmot location would be a great spot for a battery plant or a variety of other builds, but said it wouldn’t be suitable for a very specific portion of the province’s recent Honda EV deal.
“There will be four sites around Ontario. I was asked yesterday if one of the sites is Wilmot, and the answer is no,” Fedeli said.
“The sites that are outside of Ontario are for a cathode plant. A cathode is not only a large consumer of water, but needs running water to be able to discharge so I said [Wilmot] simply would not qualify for that type of factory. I think they’re a great spot, by the way, for a battery plant. I would hope that they assemble their land so that we can get one. To the best of my knowledge, we don’t have a prospect for Wilmot at the moment.”
CTV News reached out to the Region of Waterloo for an update on the land assembly project, but staff deferred to Fedeli’s comments.
Arjo, Jake and Adam Van Bergeijk represent three generations of dairy farmers who would be affected if the Wilmot land assembly project goes ahead. (CTV News/Stefanie Davis)
Farmers in the area say they still haven’t received any update on what will happen to their land. It’s been two months since they were first approached. Landowners and farmers who have spoken with CTV News say they’re not interested in selling their land.
“We’ve tried several times to talk, to ask [the region] for clarity and transparency, and so far we’ve had no luck with them on that,” farmer Arjo Van Bergeijk said in an interview on Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday in the hush money trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump, prepared to testify about a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.