Wilmot's Official Plan

⚠️ 1. Omission of the 770-Acre Land Assembly
The single biggest land-use threat in our Township’s history—the ~770 acres assembled for mega-industrial development near Hwy 7/8 and Nafziger—is completely missing from local Official Plan maps (Unmapped in Municipal Schedules). Because the process was driven top-down through provincial and regional deals, Mayor Salonen's plan turns a blind eye to the potential loss of prime agricultural land and huge industrial scale-ups in our backyard.

💧 2. Minimum-Only Protections for Water and Farmland
Who it Impacts: All Private Well Owners, Agricultural Operations, and Township-Wide Drinking Water Users.
The Reality: While the plan outlines farmland rules (Section 2 & 6 | Schedule A1) and drinking water rules (Section 8 & 9 | Schedule C2), experts warned Council that these policies only meet bare provincial minimums. Neighboring townships like Woolwich wrote much tougher policies to protect the Waterloo Moraine and prevent industrial encroachment. Council was handed model language from other municipalities, but they chose to stick with bare-minimum safeguards.

🌊 3. Paving Over Flood Fringe & Environmentally Sensitive Lands
Who it Impacts: New Hamburg Residents, Waterfront Property Owners, and Emergency Responders.
The Reality: While primary river floodways have restrictions (Section 8 & 9 | Schedule C4), the plan leaves policy loopholes for major construction in "flood fringe" zones along the Nith River if developers meet technical engineering criteria. Over-developing ecologically sensitive hazard lands risks destroying local ecosystems, displacing natural floodwaters onto neighboring homes, and placing vulnerable residents in areas with serious emergency evacuation risks.

🏘️ 4. Unchecked Height Allowances in Small Towns
Who it Impacts: Residents in Downtown New Hamburg and Baden Strategic Growth Areas.
The Reality: The plan pre-designates Strategic Growth Areas to allow mid-rise (4–6 storeys) as-of-right and sets criteria for high-rises (7+ storeys) (Schedules A3.1 & A3.2). Allowing 8-storey structures—even under the banner of "senior housing"—fundamentally changes small-town character, blocks sightlines, and overburdens older town infrastructure. When people hear a project is for "seniors," it sounds positive at first glance, but we need to look critically at whether massive scale and high monthly costs actually serve our community's real needs.

🏗️ 5. 20% Infill Target Demands
Who it Impacts: Established Single-Family Neighborhoods in Baden and New Hamburg.
The Reality: The plan mandates that at least 20% of all new housing must come from infill and intensification within existing built-up boundaries (Section 3 | Schedule A2). Concentrating this level of growth into established residential streets will create significant traffic bottlenecks, street parking strain, and loss of privacy for long-time homeowners.

🚛 6. Gravel Pits and Heavy Truck Corridors
Who it Impacts: Baden, Foxboro Green, and Rural Route Families along Haul Routes.
The Reality: Mineral aggregate extraction remains a protected interim use in agricultural zones (Section 6.4 | Schedule C3), locking in heavy truck corridors, dust, noise, and well-water concerns near established rural residential communities like Baden.

❌ 7. Private Communal Utilities Risk
Who it Impacts: Settlements like Petersburg and New Outer Developments Outside Municipal Water Grids.
The Reality: The plan allows private communal water and wastewater systems for new multi-unit developments outside standard municipal grids (Section 7.3). In areas like Petersburg where water systems and infrastructure oversight are constant community priorities, introducing non-municipal systems creates long-term financial and environmental risks for homeowners if those private systems fail.

We Have Until September 19 to Be Heard
Because this plan has been sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for final approval, we still have a window to demand changes.
We deserve leadership that asks tough questions, listens to local experts, and puts Wilmot residents first—not a rubber stamp for provincial mandates.

Submit your feedback directly to the Province before the September 19 deadline:
Environmental Registry of Ontario Notice 026-0838

Let’s protect our water, preserve our farmland, and build a future our community can actually trust.
#WilmotWard3 #FightForFarmland #ProtectOurWater #WilmotVotes2026