The Grand River Conservation Authority has officially declared a 20-acre parcel of agricultural land as surplus. The property, south of Niska Road and east of Pioneer Trail, has been an agricultural field for years, and is zoned as low and medium density residential land under Guelph’s official plan. It is not part of a planned land transfer between the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and the City of Guelph, or part of the Kortright Waterfowl Park. Previously, some residents made impassioned pleas to Guelph politicians, asking them to redesignate the area as green space instead of leaving it zoned for residential use. “Through the delegations the board has heard today, and through previous correspondence received by the GRCA, a different interpretation of history surrounding these lands has been presented,” Samantha Lawson, the GRCA’s CAO said during the meeting. “Particularly with respect to the purpose for which they were acquired.” While acknowledging some members of the public spent a significant amount of time researching the history of the Kortright Waterfowl Park lands and the nearby 20-acre parcel, she said, “…there are differing interpretations of some aspects of that history.” In the GRCA’s view, the 20-acre property was bought for a water management plan that would have included a proposed Hespeler Reservoir project. “Conservation authorities have long acquired lands that serve for more than one public purpose,” Lawson said. “Recognizing these additional benefits does not change the fact that the GRCA’s historical records identify these lands as being acquired as part of the Hespeler Reservoir project, a history that has been reflected in a number of public watershed reports and studies over the past years.” She added that when the land was acquired, the plan was not to build the reservoir immediately, but to secure the property so the project remained an option in the future. “By the time the 1982 Grand River Basin Water Management study was completed, engineers and planners had reassessed the full range of available alternatives, improvements in wastewater treatment, optimization of existing reservoir systems, groundwater use and other water management measures reduced the need for additional reservoirs. As a result, the Hespeler Reservoir was no longer carried forward as part of the preferred long-term water management strategy.” At a meeting on Monday, the GRCA’s board voted in favour of declaring the 20-acre parcel as surplus. Before the vote, the City of Guelph published part of a letter from Mayor Cam Guthrie regarding the agricultural land. “We continue to advocate for and seek local community benefit from the sale proceeds of these lands reflecting Guelph’s historical financial contribution towards the land acquisition,” the letter said, in part. “The city formally requests, in alignment with City Council direction, that the GRCA partner with the city to request of the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks an allocation of 30 per cent, or equivalent in-kind value of the anticipated proceeds of sale of the southeastern parcel of the Niska lands towards community benefit for Guelph taxpayers.” The city reiterated that it had no intention to buy the smaller property itself. The conservation authority is still planning to move forward with a separate deal that will see the City of Guelph buy 126.16 acres of land along Niska Road, including the former waterfowl park, for $756,960.
