Wilmot farmers say freedom of information requests denied again, new rallies planned

A sign near Stewart Snyder's farm on June 12, 2024. (CTV News/Tyler Kelaher)

A group hoping to stop the sale of Wilmot farmland says the Region of Waterloo has denied their freedom of information request for a second time.

Fight For Farmland was formed in response to the region’s plan to acquire 770 acres of land between Nafziger Road, Bleams Road and Wilmot Centre Road. The region said it is trying to secure the property for future development, though they haven’t elaborated on any possible projects.

“We calculate we’ve missed about $4.1 billion of investment, which has gone somewhere else because we did not have a shovel-ready large piece of land,” Regional Chair Karen Redman stated in July.

Fight For Farmland said they submitted 21 freedom of information requests on the site selection process back in June. Some of the information they asked for were: impacts on wastewater and drinking water, infrastructure planning, costs and alternative site evaluations. The group also requested copies of any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) related to the proposed sale.

The group said they were all denied.

Fight For Farmland then made another attempt at getting information from the region. This time, however, they submitted only one freedom of information request.

Kevin Thomason, vice-chair of the Grand River Environmental Network, said they asked for an itemized list of the assessments and surveys by the Region of Waterloo.

The response they got, he added, was “troubling.”

“They’re not even giving us that,” he explained. “The documents we’re asking for is simply a list of the studies they refused to give us the first time. We’re not sure these studies have ever been done or ever existed. The fact that they denied them now twice, leads us to believe that no one might have actually done the proper due diligence or their homework for this mega-industrial site.”

The region previously stated that the land was chosen due to its proximity to arterial transportation, as well as existing hydro, water and wastewater infrastructure. It is also outside the Regional Recharge Zone, which protects local drinking water.

On July 18, the region announced it had secured one-third of the 770 acres and was doing more surveys and assessments as part of their due diligence. Some of that involved plowing land, which sparked outrage in the community. According to Thomason, hundreds of thousands of dollars of corn was destroyed just weeks before the crop was set to be harvested.

"We are continually disappointed by the lack of transparency surrounding this proposed industrial mega-site," Alfred Lowrick, Fight For Farmland spokesperson, said in a media release.

The group is planning two upcoming rallies to, once again, voice the community’s concerns about the project. The first will be held outside Monday’s council meeting in Wilmot Township. The second is scheduled for Wednesday at the Region of Waterloo’s council meeting in Kitchener.

War of words

The Wilmot land assembly continues to be a contentious issue, and not just between the region and farmers. Politicians have also weighed in on the process.

In April, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development voiced his support for securing the property.

“I think that’s a really great opportunity,” Vic Fedeli stated. “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.”

Then, on Aug. 15, the minister and Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris issued a joint a statement on the matter.

“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,” it said. “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 told CTV News at the time that she was shocked by Fedeli and Harris’ statement.

“I had no heads-up,” she said, adding that region had been working with province throughout the acquisition process. “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.”

Fedeli’s latest comments

Fedeli was in Kitchener on Thursday and was again asked about the government’s role in the assembly process.

“We’re reliant on the region to front-run this. All of these decisions are to be made by the region,” the minister said. “The province is involved in the funding, but it’s up to the local municipality, in this case the region, to do the ground game. Period.”

Reaction from Fight For Farmland, region

Thomason said he was disappointed with Fedeli’s response.

“I wanted to hear that they’re abandoning this absurd location,” he explained. “And announcing they’re going to begin a proper planning process, methods, public consultation, information and dialogue that is congruent with our regional official plan and decades of previous planning.”

Thomason believes the project had been “bungled” from the start.

“This destroys decades of work across our whole community,” he said.

Fight For Farmland, he added, will continue to file freedom of information requests.

CTV News also reached out to the Region of Waterloo to get their reaction to Fedeli’s comments.

In an email they said: “Land assembly in Wilmot moves forward with our continued focus on fair and equitable agreements for those involved. MFIPPA [Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act] protects this information to protect the interests of all parties involved. Details regarding the importance of assembling shovel-ready land and further project information are available on our website.”

They did not respond to our inquiry about Fight For Farmland’s latest freedom of information request.