The Community EditionWILMOT A.I. LAND GRAB
In March 2024, Wilmot landowners and farmers were notified by the Region of Waterloo that their land was being expropriated. Land that goes on the intersection of Nafzinger Rd. To Bleams Rd. were forcibly put for sale for the use of future industrial projects. On August 7, 2025, QScale AI announced they shortlisted Wilmot Township as a potential host for their data center.
“it’s horrifying to see our regional and provincial government is still moving forward with this absurd Wilmot farmland assembly, when they admit they haven’t got a customer,” Kevin Thomason, Vice Chair of the Grand River Environmental Network, said.
On May 2025, The Region of Waterloo secured over 70 per cent of the land in Wilmot Township. In only its second news conference on the matter, the Region continues its plans to create an industrial site for future use. QScale has not released a timeline for a decision on their Ontario expansion and how many potential jobs there will be for the data centre site yet.
“In the face of Donald Trump’s tariffs and everything happening around the world, the odds of a large global EV company coming to set up a massive battery plant in Wilmot looks to be about zero, and it just seems absurd that when taxpayers money is so tight, they continue to waste millions,” Thomason said.
A local group called Best WR which includes presidents of local chambers of commerce wrote an open letter in April 2024 supporting the region’s plans. They said business opportunities would grow if the land assembly were to proceed.
“And it’s unfortunate, because it doesn’t have to be this way. We have proper planning. We have proper planning rules. And yet, of course, all of that has been completely ignored and upended,” Thomason said.
In its Quebec campus, QScale has a capacity for over 142 megawatts of power. It has 266 megavolt amperes and 120 kilo-vault electrical substations. The power from the substation supports the growth of AI and high-performance computing (HPC).
“The government can come and just take land to destroy it, some of best farmland in the province. [Which means] they can come and take anyone’s land with no proper process, no consultations or First Nations engagement. It’s just utterly appalling,” Thomason said.
On Feb. 13, 2025, the Wilmot Civic Action Network held a community meeting regarding the Wilmot land assembly. There, community members and leaders discussed the impacts of the proposed expropriation, reviewed recent expert survey results and discussed next steps as a community.
“If this land expropriation goes through, it will destabilize the agricultural industry in all of Waterloo Region,” Suzanna Compton, a lifelong Wilmot resident and writer, said.
The WiImot Civic Action Network or WilmotCAN is a group of residents of the Township of Wilmot and surrounding communities that fosters positive community action. They consistently speak about WIlmot being an unwilling host to the the potential QScale expansion.
“I know so many farmers that are bursting at the seams to expand their business, but they do not feel like they can because they are so close to the WIlmot Land Assembly,” Compton said.
Members of WIlmotCAN have worked with FIght for Farmland to criticize the Region of Waterloo’s continued efforts to acquire farmland. Neither organization have nothas been able to reach out to their local government officials for project information or a comment.
“The countryside line, where the land expropriation is, is Waterloo Region’s greenbelt. It is a hard line that says development may go this far and no further,” Compton said.
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The Community Edition
