Minister and MPP 'disappointed' in land assembly process in Wilmot Township

Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development and the MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga are expressing their disappointment with how a contentious land assembly process has been handled in Wilmot Township.

A joint release from Victor Fedeli and Mike Harris reads, in part: “It is disappointing to see recent events unfold in Wilmot and the Region of Waterloo, particularly the threat of expropriation at the onset of this process. Given the region’s lack of transparency in its land assembly process, we feel it necessary to clarify our government’s involvement in the project.”

The statement goes on to say the province is supporting the region with funding to purchase land, but it is the responsibility of the region to work with affected communities.

The region previously confirmed it is trying to acquire 770 acres of rural land to develop a “shovel-ready-site” for future developments.

“The same approach was taken in St. Thomas for Volkswagen’s investment, a project that was twice the size and required no expropriation,” the release continued. “While we wholeheartedly support municipalities in their efforts to attract these investments and create good-paying jobs, we want to underline that they must always be conducted in a fair and respectful manner. This is a principle we strongly uphold, and we urge the Region of Waterloo to do the same.”

Redman’s response

In an interview Thursday afternoon, Regional Chair Karen Redman said she was shocked by the joint statement.

“I’ve reached out to both ministers,” she added. “I’m waiting to get a reply because I am very confused from the get go. We have worked lock and step with the province. We have been in constant contact with them. I’ve talked to the minister more times than I can count – Minister Fedeli. Our staff are in constant contact because one of the mechanisms, because the province is providing the funding, is that we go back constantly to say: ‘Land owner wants X. Are we able to do it?’ Sometimes it’s when they want the deal to close. Sometimes it’s specific conditions for either their farm or their residential property. So we’ve tried to negotiate in good faith and make sure that landowners are getting the things that they need in a deal so that they can sell their land and feel that they’ve been dealt with fairly.”

Redman added that Thursday’s statement came out of the blue.

“I had no head’s up. None of our staff did about this. Because I would have to tell you again that we’re in constant contact with the province, and we wanted to change some timelines, we wanted to negotiate a more transparent launch to this and we were denied. So I’m surprised to see this statement come out at this juncture.”

She added although expropriation is a tool the region can use, it is not a tool they want to use.