By Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
The Region of Waterloo’s attempted acquisition of 770 acres of prime farmland has reached a new level of frustration for those battling against it.
Fight for Farmland, the grassroots group behind the push for more transparency, has come up empty following 21 freedom of information (FOI) requests to the Region. Eighteen of them were completely denied while three were answered with “no record” of information.
The group’s spokesperson, Alfred Lowrick, was confident the requests were completed properly but appeals will be done with the help of Steve Bottoms, someone who played a large role in stopping the province’s high-speed rail plan from taking farmland in the area.
“We’re all farmers and retired people who want to help out and do the best thing for the community,” Lowrick said. “We aren’t lawyers nor do we have expertise in this area so we reach out as needed. We don’t have the resources of a municipality with lawyers on staff, but we do our best.”
Lowrick said the region did not provide an explanation as to why the requests provided no information, something that has shocked consultants the group works with.
“We do reach out to legal firms, particularly for environmental support, and they are befuddled as well. It’s unheard of to get discounted outright. I’ve never done this before and I am relying on Steve, who has done it a number of times with other groups.”
Wilmot Coun. Harvir Sidhu said he continues to be dismayed by the region’s actions in denying any information for all affected.
“I continue to hear from farmers, landowners and concerned residents who are shocked by the ongoing lack of transparency. The region’s mishandling of the land assembly is eroding local democracy, full stop,” he said.
Lowrick said he is confident they are asking the right questions from a legal and political perspective. The group has decided to ramp up its fight for transparency by approaching three different government avenues – appealing the region's lack of response to the FOIs to the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner, asking the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate the many in-camera meetings to determine their legality and requesting the Integrity Commissioner investigate how Vive Developments became aware of the land assembly weeks before any information was made public.
He admitted the fight with the region has been a very frustrating one, but holds out hope the group will at some point find out the truth.
“Are we any further ahead? Probably a little. We are getting a bit of information but nothing in one document,” Lowrick said. “I don’t know who to believe anymore. They’re hiding something and it doesn’t make sense.”
One of the farms within the 770-acre area has sold to the region along with three homes. The farm takes up a total of 150 acres. Lowrick said he understands why those landowners decided to take an offer.
“One owner had a one-acre lot and the owner moved in a year ago. I’m sure what happened is the region came and had to start somewhere and made a sweet deal. He is already moving out of his house.”
In a press release, the group said the region's unusual denial of their requests raises serious concerns about the transparency and legality of their actions.
“Is the region withholding this information because critical steps in the land-acquisition process have not been taken? Why are they keeping constituents and citizens in the dark? The denied information includes requests for critical details that should already be public knowledge and part of the region's research-and-planning process.”
These requests asked for information on a number of issues including official plan and farmland protection, transparency and decision-making, wastewater and treatment and drinking water.
Kevin Thomason is the vice chair of the Grand River Environmental Network and he explained no one can believe the results of the FOI exercise.
“It certainly isn’t in the best public interest to see so much secrecy and important information such as studies and research that has been paid for with tax dollars withheld from the public, unless those studies haven’t been done and there’s nothing to share,” he said.
Fight for Farmland has said for the past four months, the region has conducted its business in secrecy without a single public meeting. They say the land grab contradicts long-established plans and planning concepts in the region's official plan.