Waterloo Region has been frustrated in its plan to assemble 770 acres in Wilmot Township for industrial development.
So far it has bought only one 155-acre farm and several residences. It claims to have the rights to 550 acres.
But there are staunch holdouts, such as dairy farmer Stewart Snider who said he objects to the way the land assembly has been launched.
He also told Waterloo Region Record reporter Terry Pender that he doubts the region has legal authority to expropriate the land it seeks because it does not have a buyer or specific development proposal.
His opinion is shared by two groups opposed to the land assembly.
Snider said the economic climate has changed since the project was launched in the fall of 2024.
United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs have changed things, he said, a point conceded by Tony La Mantia, chief executive officer of the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation.
But La Mantia said that could change as soon as the mid-term elections in the United States in November.
The region’s threat to use expropriation to acquire the 770 acres expires in February so holdouts such as Snider will be able to block the full extent of the land assembly.
The Region failed to respond to a request from Ontario Farmer to say how many properties and acres are under purchase agreements.
