When it first came to light that a company working on behalf of the Region of Waterloo had approached farmers and residents in a particular area of Wilmot Township to buy their land, the big question on everyone’s mind was what the land would be used for. My first thought was an EV car manufacturing […] Read more
Tag Archives expropriation
Editorial: Shrouded in secrecy
Wilmot Township not a willing host for industrial site
Fight for Farmland group continues to ask questions about proposed expropriation
The Fight for Farmland landowners group continues to ask why the Region of Waterloo won’t disclose details about proposed expropriation of 770 acres of prime farmland in Wilmot Township. Why it matters: A 770-acre parcel of prime farmland may be expropriated by the Region of Waterloo. The group comprises 11 of the landowners who will […] Read more
How land expropriation happens
What constitutes ‘public good’ is not always clear
The land expropriation case in Wilmot township, Waterloo Region, continues to develop. While the exact purpose of the expropriation remains murky, the question for many is whether the Region of Waterloo’s actions are in fact, legal. Jonathan Minnes, an expropriation, planning and municipal lawyer and partner with Kitchener-based firm Gowling WLG, says there have been […] Read more
Farmers, farm groups condemn expropriation threat to farmland in Wilmot township
Farmers in Wilmot township in the Region of Waterloo are calling into question an assembly of prime farmland. Farmers and landowners have been approached by a U.S.-based consulting firm acting on behalf of the Region of Waterloo to purchase 770 acres of prime agricultural land. The Waterloo Federation of Agriculture (WFA) and the Ontario Federation […] Read more
Land spends half-century under expropriation shadow
Proposed Pickering airport lands have sat in limbo for 50 years
New generations of activists continue their vigil over farmland known as the Pickering airport lands, 50 years into the dispute, with decades more likely before a permanent decision is made. The original activists, a mix of environmentalists, farmland preservationists, free-love hippies and others that included then Toronto Mayor David Crombie, first took up their protest […] Read more
South African plan to allow land expropriation fails to pass
Constitutional amendment defeated by ruling ANC's opponents on both sides
Johannesburg | Reuters –– A proposal to change South Africa’s constitution to explicitly allow expropriation of land with no compensation failed to win the two-thirds of parliamentary votes that it needed on Tuesday. Lawmakers debated whether to change Section 25 of the constitution to enable authorities to seize land to address racial land inequalities left […] Read more
Public pressure halts city’s bid for Welland farm
Expropriation attempt loses support at recent vote
Nationwide public outcry is being credited for helping save City of Welland farmer Marsha Rempel from being forced to sell her 67-acre farm for industrial development. On March 2, city councillors voted 8-3 to put the brakes on an expropriation process which had been initiated in July 2020, and taken another step forward on Dec. […] Read more
Letters: Too many farmland loss stories
Dear editor, Unbelievable or maybe believable! In the Feb. 8, 2021 edition of Farmtario, the situation occurring with Marsha Rempel and her farmland being expropriated, although not totally the same situation, has a similarity to what is occurring in the Municipality of South Bruce. How do city/municipal councils get to ruin the lives of their […] Read more
City eyes Welland farmer’s land for expropriation, future industrial use
Urban dwellers come to Marsha Rempel’s defense
A family-owned farm within the City of Welland is fighting back after it was threatened with a third round of expropriation. This time, the entire farm could be taken, after two portions were lost to railways in the last century. Why it matters: All three general farm organizations in Ontario have identified the loss of […] Read more
South Africa’s parliament approves land expropriation bill
Johannesburg | Reuters — South Africa’s parliament on Thursday approved a bill allowing state expropriations of land to redress racial disparities in land ownership, an emotive issue two decades after the end of apartheid. Most of South Africa’s land remains in white hands and many commercial and small-scale farmers are currently facing tough times because […] Read more
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