No more crops will be destroyed on Wilmot Township lands purchased by region: Council

Regional councillors unanimously voted in favour of a motion to ensure no more unharvested crops will be plowed over on lands purchased by the region in Wilmot Township.

Wilmot Mayor Natasha Salonen brought the motion forward during the Region of Waterloo's sustainable, infrastructure and development committee meeting Tuesday.

The region faced backlash last month as farmers say 160 acres of corn was unnecessarily destroyed, weeks before it could have been properly harvested.

The region plowed over a crop of corn on land it recently purchased in Wilmot Township as part of site work it needs to complete to develop the land. One township councillor says he only learned of the work from residents and said the region should have told council about their plans. (Lauren Kuivenhoven/CBC)

The land was purchased by the region as part of its plan to acquire 770 acres — nearly 312 hectares — in the area of Nafziger and Bleams roads for a future industrial site.

Wilmot Councillor Harvir Sidhu also weighed in on the corn plowing via a Facebook post.

During Tuesday's meeting, alonen said the crop destruction violated the region's strategic plan.

Salonen added the act also conflicted with the goals in the province's own agri-food strategy called Grow Ontario.

The motion Wilmot Mayor Natasha Salonen read during Tuesday's Sustainable, Infrastructure and Development committee meeting. (Youtube: Region of Waterloo Council)

The motion asked the region to commit to ensuring an assessment be done on any further farms purchased to see if the crop could be harvested.

All 14 councilors present at Tuesday's meeting voted in favour of the motion.

The decision made in committee is expected to be ratified at a later regional council meeting.