Over 70 per cent of Wilmot land assembly purchased by region

The Region of Waterloo has bought over two-thirds of the Wilmot land assembly, making the fight to retain the prime agricultural land more difficult.

In a press release, the region said it has “secured” 550 of the 770 acres it has been vying for since last spring. The municipality said that with the “majority” of land in its possession, on-site technical and environmental investigations will continue to make the land “shovel-ready.”

“First of all, I want to say this update is good news, and we’re thrilled to be able to announce that 70 per cent has been assembled as our land assembly,” said Regional Chair Karen Redman to 570 NewsRadio. “We will continue to be committed to working with landowners in a respectful way, offering fair and equitable agreements.”

The region’s ongoing effort to buy up the land and not specify what it will be used for has been a contentious issue with people. The secrecy and ongoing lack of communication with landowners and the public have prompted multiple protests and involved governments at all levels.

One expert has also said the soil loss from the land already purchased is impacting a local watershed, some of the worst she has seen in her 30-year conservation specialist career.

Despite all this pushback, the region is continuing to buy up the site that it hopes will be “capable of supporting large-scale development advances.”

“Reaching this major milestone gets us significantly closer to securing long-term investment and economic prosperity locally,” said Chair Karen Redman. “It’s imperative, now more than ever, that Waterloo Region be ready to support Canadian manufacturing and well-paying, local jobs.”

The municipality is trying to secure the land so that it can be ready for when — and if — major employers seek out the area for the next big project. Redman said that the lack of those pre-prepared lands has had direct financial and economic implications on the region over recent years.

“We know that we have foregone a lot of investment, $10 billion over three years, over 5,000 jobs, and that’s an estimate that’s probably higher than that. We need to have shovel-ready land, which means we have to do the due diligence.”

However, this investment of buying out owners in the area has not come without a cost to the municipality.

In January, the Waterloo Region Record reported that the municipality spent over $18 million to obtain four properties. It is not clear how much more the region has spent on the additional acres to date.

Redman mentioned that the recent economic struggles seen globally, nationally, and locally here in the region have meant that the developments and investments needed for them have become more vital than ever.

“I think it has underscored how important this investment is and how important having a vision for the future is,” Redman said. “There is no doubt that the tariffs have caused countries around the globe to examine their supply chains, examine where they invest, and there is a window of opportunity. Southwestern Ontario and Waterloo Region are great places to invest. We have a very skilled, well-educated workforce, and those are some of the things that cause people internationally to look at investing in the Region of Waterloo.”

Mystery around what the land could be used for

The municipality has given no indication as to what it wants the land to be used for. Instead, in multiple documents, it pushes the idea of how the site is “strategic” due to its access to Highway 7/8, existing utility infrastructure, proximity to the region and how it is a “large, contiguous development footprint.”

In a previous document obtained by CityNews Kitchener, the region said it planned to build a “mega-industrial site” on the 770 acres of land.

This led to speculation around whether Toyota could be one of the companies interested. The car manufacturer previously told CityNews it won’t comment on “rumours” that it could be the host.

Residents have been asking for more details about what the region is planning for the site, with questions surrounding why the specific area was chosen for potential development, especially since it is prime agricultural land.

Redman said an announcement like this is part of the region’s effort to be in better communication with those residents throughout the region, saying they can prepare to see the direct steps that are being taken soon, once crews get to work on developing those lands.

“One of the reasons that we’re doing this update at this juncture is to let the community know that there will be trucks out on the land,” Redman said. “They will be doing boreholes. They will commence due diligence. They’ll see vehicles and people working around this land. We want to make sure that they know that it is because this land assembly is continuing to go forward.”

While no talks with specific developers have been mentioned, Redman said plenty of steps are still needed ahead of that particular step.

“There are many steps left. We need to have shovel-ready land, which means we have to do the due diligence. We have to move forward with site servicing,” stated Redman. “We continue to compete for global investment and talent around the world, and we will continue to do that as we assemble this.”

With files from CityNews Kitchener staff.