Wilmot Official Plan
On July 27, 2026, the Township of Wilmot adopted a new Official Plan.
Council voted 4–2.
For me, the important question isn't simply who voted yes and who voted no.
It is what each member of Council did with the concerns and proposed changes that had been put in front of them before that vote.
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*** Until September 19, residents and businesses can submit feedback on our Official Plan.
*** Provide your feedback so that we can protect Wilmot and create a future where our children and grandchildren will want to live.
Many people, organizations, experts, and not-for-profits are concerned about the approved Official Plan. Yes, much of it sounds good. However, staff stated very clearly at the Council meeting that they had worked with the Province to ensure the wording of the plan was what the Province wanted to see.
You need to understand why this matters.
An Official Plan is our long-term vision for our community. Staff reported that, through their year-long community engagement, they spoke with around 35 people at their earlier events and had a similar number of one-on-one meetings. They had completed a level of community engagement they were happy with, and they were not going to do anything more.
Instead of creating a 30-year vision that reflects what Wilmot residents and businesses want, we ended up with a plan heavily shaped around what the Province wanted to see.
Woolwich did something differently. They had extensive community engagement and decided to create a vision that protected farmland, water and rural character. Wilmot's Official Plan is about one-quarter the size of Woolwich's and includes policies that support small-, medium- and large-scale development.
Experts, residents and community groups had spent almost half a year speaking with Wilmot staff and eventually Council about their concerns. They even provided examples of the exact policies written by Woolwich and Kitchener.
John Ariens, a recently retired planner with 42 years of experience, spoke at the Council meeting. He explained that he was very concerned about our Official Plan, specifically some of the wording. He said he had never seen some of this wording in an Official Plan before.
He spoke passionately and clearly for five minutes.
When he finished, not one question was asked of him. Not one Councillor asked staff to clarify the concerns he had raised.
We saw something similar with other delegates. Mark Reusser, Vice-President of the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture, raised a number of concerns with the plan.
He said it did not prohibit an industrial mega-site, did not address the dumping of excessive soil on farmland, did not mention protection of the Waterloo Moraine, provided little protection for the countryside, and contained only minimum protections for source water Council then had a decision to make.
Councillors could vote for or against the Official Plan, but they also had the opportunity to ask staff questions about the concerns raised by delegates and propose changes before the plan was adopted. No questions were asked. No proposed changes were made.
Council ultimately adopted the Official Plan in a 4–2 vote.
For me, the important question isn't simply who voted yes and who voted no.
It is what each member of Council did with the concerns and proposed changes that had been put in front of them before that vote.
What did they do with the hand-delivered documents outlining the policies already written into the Official Plans for Woolwich and Kitchener?
One Councillor made a motion to postpone the vote for eight months so there would be additional time to learn about policies implemented by other municipalities.
But those policies already existed. Examples had already been researched and provided to some Councilors, including the one that made the motion.
The question wasn't simply whether Council needed more time. It was what Council was prepared to do with the information, examples and proposed changes that were already in front of them.
Resources: Wilmot Official Plan Community Edition
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