October 9 - Community Update
Once again it has been an amazingly busy time in the Fight For Farmland with shocking statements from Premier Doug Ford, province-wide media coverage, lots of new insights from elected officials, and the launch of a campaign by Waterloo Economic Development Corporation against our community Fight For Farmland group funded by your tax dollars.
Fight For Farmland Caught Up With Doug Ford at the International Plowing Match Last Week
At the 105th International Plowing Match in Lindsay, Ontario, Premier Doug Ford publicly criticized the Region of Waterloo for its mis-handling of the Wilmot Land Assembly. Speaking with members of the Fight for Farmland Group after his Opening Ceremony speech, Ford called out Regional Chair Karen Redman and her regional team, stating, “They mishandled the land acquisition from the beginning,” and then Ford expressed confusion about all the secrecy surrounding the project, stating, “I don’t know why all the secrecy going on—I couldn’t figure that one out.”
Yet, inspite of Ford's confusion, it is the province itself that imposed the unprecedented Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that has kept the region bound to secrecy, preventing local officials from holding public consultations or releasing studies.
The Fight for Farmland contingent of 20 amazing volunteers, attended the International Plowing Match to raise awareness about the threat to Wilmot's prime farmland, gathering support from thousands of attendees who wore “We Are Unwilling” stickers in solidarity.
Our message was echoed by politicians of all parties, with opposition leaders Mike Schreiner (Green Party), Marit Stiles (NDP), and Bonnie Crombie (Liberal Party) calling for farmland protection in their speeches and displaying Fight For Farmland signs on their floats in the Open Ceremony Parade. Senator Rob Black also showed his support by carrying a Fight for Farmland sign alongside our members in the parade and vowing to bring the issue to Ottawa.
The Fight For Farmland Group issued a Press Release following the Premier’s stark criticism of the Region of Waterloo and how things have been handled so far here in Wilmot. Read it here:
The Provincial media coverage was extensive including some of our first coverage in the Toronto Star newspaper and on Toronto television networks:
- Protesting farmers greet Doug Ford at International Plowing Match - The Toronto Star
- Advocates for Wilmot Farmland take their message to International Plowing Match - CTV News
- International Plowing Match Ontario 2024 - CBC News
- Fight for Farmland at the International Plowing Match - YouTube
National Farmers Union Rallies for Wilmot Farmers
Kudos to the NFU for hosting a fantastic event on September 29th in Wilmot, which featured a delicious BBQ showcasing an array of local farm products. The day included tours of Tim and Eva’s cabbage farm, where they produce St. Jacob’s Sauerkraut, as well as speeches and a tractor parade around the mega-site and through Baden, drawing significant community support. The highlight was an aerial photo captured by drone, showing tractors and local residents spelling out "NO" in a farm field.
Region of Waterloo Council Meeting
At the September 25 Region of Waterloo Council meeting, members of the Fight for Farmland Group and concerned neighbors delivered strong delegations highlighting the many issues surrounding the Wilmot Land acquisition, particularly the lack of transparency and detail regarding the corn crop destruction. This sparked discussion around the council table revealing not only flaws in the report but also confusion about the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). In response, Councillor Rob Deutschmann put forward a motion requesting legal clarification on the validity of the NDA and called for further details to be added to the corn crop destruction report. If you haven’t had a chance to watch this meeting yet, we highly recommend you do.
WATCH COUNCIL MEETING STARTING AT 43:30min mark
Response to Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation’s New Campaign Against The Fight For Farmland
Earlier this week, Tony LaMantia, President and CEO of the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation (EDC) published an opinion piece in the Waterloo Record, which he’s now actively promoting across LinkedIn and other social platforms as well as with paid online advertisements using your tax dollars. While he accuses our group of being "bullies" and "loud," it's clear that our efforts are making an impact. In response, we have issued a detailed rebuttal, challenging the opinions he presents as facts. Here's part of our response:
It seems the Tony LaMantia President and Chief Executive Officer of the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation has completely lost the plot. Seemingly getting all fired up over the Fight For Farmland Group calling out the lack of transparency and poor planning when it comes to the Wilmot Land Assembly, now trying to justify the mess with misleading information, only partial facts, and empty promises of jobs — again. We’ve heard this tune before with the East Side Lands, Wilmot Industrial Park, Waterloo Generation Park, and other area industrial parks that still sit mostly vacant often after many years and even decades. Where are those new industry jobs they promised?
Tony LaMantia staied that “Waterloo Region is desperately short of industrial land… the goal was to avoid turning away investments from local and international companies due to a lack of shovel-ready land.” Yet here we are, despite thousands of acres of industrial lands sitting vacant for years in Waterloo Region being fed the same story we heard in 2019 when they claimed the East Side Lands would unlock industrial potential. What happened to that? Over 20 years ago we were told that the Wilmot Industrial Park was essential for our future success, yet in more than two decades not a single lot has been sold to any company. In 2021, Karen Redman announced that the East Side Lands would support more than 40,000 jobs over 30 years. So why didn’t Dr. Oetker or Schneider’s locate there or in any of these many available locations across Waterloo Region?
Continue letter reading on our website….
Please contact Tony LaMantia and the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation directly to let them know they need a proper process and better location that is congruent with our Regional Official Plan than destroying prime Wilmot farmland and compromising our rural communities for an industrial mega-site:
Tony LaMantia – tony.lamantia@waterlooedc.ca
Upcoming Events
Region of Waterloo Council Meeting: Wednesday, October 23, 2024 @ 7:00 PM Mark your calendars and join us to help keep the pressure on Regional Councillors and Mayors. There will be delegations from community youth concerned about this proposed industrial mega-site, discussion of the NDA validity, and hopefully more discussion on the Corn Crop Destruction Report.
Lawn Signs and Stickers
We just received another 300 colour and black & white lawn signs. Please reach out to any of our Sign Captains (www.fightforfarmland.com) for a sign. Also, we now have “We Are Unwilling” stickers available. Please e-mail wilmotlandowners@gmail.com to learn how you can get some.
Thank you to all our incredible supporters and everyone who has shown up at recent events. Your dedication and passion are making a real difference, and we couldn’t do this without such amazing community support. Let's keep the momentum going—stay loud, keep speaking up, and make it clear that we are an unwilling host. Together, we’ll continue to stand strong for our farmland and our community.