Hundreds of concerned people showed up at the Wilmot Recreation Complex Friday for a town hall in protest of the Region of Waterloo’s plan to drum up 770 acres of farmland for development purposes. Landowners have been told the region is preparing to expropriate land for ‘shovel-ready’ projects.
Organizers weren’t ready for the size of the crowd leaving some people upset and having to find other ways to listen and ask questions. The event was arranged by the Ontario New Democratic Party who booked an upper hall with a capacity of 80 people. An estimated 300 turned out and some were forced to watch the events unfold on a Zoom call. Others gathered at the facility’s outdoor playground where NDP leader Marit Stiles eventually addressed the overflow crowd.
Stewart Snyder, one of the six affected farmers, said the support from not only the local community but those elsewhere has been comforting as he continues to battle what is still an unknown enemy. “We can’t ask for more support. It’s coming from all angles. You look at the petition that was started (with over 30,000 names). Who would have ever thought it? A friend of mine from Mount Forest called and said hey, we’re thinking about you. What’s going on down there?” An emotional Snyder said he loves the way the community has rallied behind him and the other affected landowners. “I would never have thought it. But when I see this, it’s unbelievable.”
One of the farmers just outside the affected area is Eva Wagler who grows cabbage with her husband south of Bleams Road. She spoke at a press conference earlier in the day and said she doesn’t believe the land grab is stopping with the six affected farms. “If it can happen to them, it can happen to anybody. They could come to our door tomorrow. I don’t think prime (farmland) should ever be questioned, it should not be touched. All of us had milk in our coffee this morning, I’m sure. Eggs on our plates. If we stand together we can stop this.”
Snyder shares Wagler’s concerns that those in power could expropriate land anywhere, not just in Wilmot. Many landowners just outside the affected area are now coming forward publicly to talk about their worries in terms of land ownership and the environment should a major industrial development arrive in Wilmot. “If they make this industrial who knows what the next step is.”
There have been very few if any answers from Wilmot Township, the Region of Waterloo or the Ford government to date. Something Synder admits but he does have hope thanks to recent events. “There has been no official traction but to be honest, there has been more dialogue in the last week than there was in the first couple of weeks.”
The town hall came just days before the Canadian Press published a report that Honda Canada is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant near its Alliston manufacturing plant. While Alliston is nearly two hours away from Wilmot there is speculation the 770 acres of land may be used for the development. An announcement from the federal and provincial governments is expected this week.
When Stiles arrived at the event she said she was blown away by how many people showed up and added the only other time she had seen such support was when her party was trying to save the Greenbelt. “We were expecting 80 people and there is a hockey game going on but if this says anything it says the community has the back of the farming community here.”
She added everyone in attendance wanted answers, transparency and accountability, and to save farmland. “There are a lot of people who stand to make a lot of money. We want to make sure that above all else the importance of farming to our economy, our communities, and the future of our province, is respected.”
