Councillors request report to seek answers on Wilmot corn crop destruction

Regional councillors have pushed forward a motion making sure no more crops are unnecessarily destroyed as the Wilmot Land Assembly continues and more farmland is sought to be purchased for future development.

There was a public outcry earlier this month, when a field of corn, within the land being expropriated by the Region of Waterloo, was ploughed only a few weeks away from harvest.

Wimot Mayor Natasha Salonen read the motion before a regional committee on Tuesday. The discussion around the horseshoe happened behind closed doors earlier in the day.

The motion notes the crop destruction goes against the region’s Strategic Plan, and any further farmland purchased will have to go through a full assessment to determine whether the crop can be harvested,

In the case where 2.8 million pounds of grain corn potential was destroyed, councillors say they are looking to see a report in four weeks, outlining what happened, and what actions were taken to mitigate the loss of crops.

In a statement to 570 NewsRadio, the Region of Waterloo previously said, “Ploughing is required to complete various studies, including topographic surveys and archaeological assessments, prior to closing on these land purchase transactions.”

The full motion is below: