This amendment proposal…

This amendment proposal ought to be rejected for the following reasons:

The Amendment was unlawfully changed without due notice and process, and:

1. Proper notice of meeting is to be given to the Public by Newspaper, Radio, Television 20 days prior according to Planning Act Regulation 543-06 Section 17 (Subsection 17).

Only 1 day’s public notice was given for the April 16 Norfolk Council meeting at which 16 oral deputations, and 8 written submissions were given by developers, builders and landowners to the exclusion of the general public who were not informed of the date.

2. On May 22 Council heard 21 oral deputations, and a further 34 written submissions given by the public.

3. The Norfolk County Planning Department had previously proposed 38 hectares (approximately 100 acres) of lands available for development just for Waterford.

4. Norfolk County surplus areas of about 450 acres in Simcoe within the town alone were also identified.

By the end of the May 22 Council meeting the number of acres for development had increased to approximately 1200 acres.

5. Prior to 16th of April, Norfolk Council had opportunity to designate this area as specialty crop area, but they didn’t, regardless of historic and current land use. 

This designation is still under review by the Province

Specific concerns:
a. Water Wellheads in Simcoe and Waterford are included in this plan for development which is contrary to environmental protection guidelines. Think Walkerton-scale contamination.

b. Studies on water wellheads in Waterford conclude they are high risk for contamination by irresponsible development.

4. Previously identified flood plains have been ignored or annexed to other allotments in this plan, under-rating the hazard of flood plains.

5. Contaminants from sewage settling ponds into creeks leading to Lake Erie during rains and flooding are a present and expanding problem.

6. Norfolk County has a proud reputation as Canada’s Golden Garden. We boast of our specialty crop heritage with very rich and varied soil types, bountiful supplies of rainfall and ground water, and unique Carolinian microclimate. Our area’s stewards of this bounty, our farmers, have developed sophisticated management of farm labour, as well as the most up-to-date application of on-farm production, processing, packaging, shipping and marketing.


7. Once farmland is covered over by concrete and asphalt, it never returns to its previous state in the ecology.

You just don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg.



Following is my personal delegation to Council at Meeting May 22, 2024.

Waterford Deputation to Council 052224

Madam Chair, Councilors, Committee Members and Staff, I am here to present brief history, current facts, and strong community opinions concerning the direction in which we are reluctantly being steered and corralled in terms of development.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of concerned, likeminded residents in Waterford. My name is L.... A..., and for the record, I am a direct descendant of Titus Finch, of good United Empire Loyalist stock, a 4th generation Waterfordian, as well the proud great granddaughter of hardworking, God-fearing Dutch and Belgian immigrants who were prosperous tobacco farmers in the Delhi/Windham area.

Now, a great deal of negative “buzz” has arisen amongst newcomers and historic “townies” alike concerning the proposed super-expansion of development on the North and South ends of our village.

I recognize that some of these proposed developments will be realized after I am dead and gone and thus will not greatly affect me. My aim now, as an elder in my home town is to preserve the peaceable and orderly way of life which my forefathers and mothers secured for us through much prayer, sacrifice, negotiation, and hard work.

Let’s be clear: We’re not opposed to responsible and reasonable development that keeps the needs of local people in mind.

We are sympathetic to farmers who find themselves in uncertain economic times wishing to sell off portions of their property, in order to make ends meet.We are not unsympathetic towards local developers and local realtors who come up with creative ideas to sell their wares and turn a profit.

We are grateful for enterprising business owners who come, set up shop, fix up storefronts, and work hard to make a go of it and benefit their customers.

What we deeply resent is the relentless encroachment into our CHOSEN quiet and peaceful way of life by those who do not share our small town rural life values. If we had wanted to live in cities, we would have moved away there like some of our family members did.

We are NOT interested in reproducing any further suburbia into our village life. We don’t want to become Little Hamilton, Little Brantford, or little Mississauga. Sociological studies clearly show that un-natural and forced growth foments DISCORD and DIVISION amongst otherwise ordinarily reasonable and tolerant people. This produces FACTIONS which find it difficult to come to equitable resolution, and sometimes produces violence and retribution and resentment.

We in Waterford need time to adapt to changes as human beings, both as those who hold to traditions and as those who are newcomers bringing in different and often conflicting ideas.

We have seen our village community swell far beyond our imaginings in recent years, and one of our biggest concerns is the preservation of the character and style of small-town living. Our town signage states that we are the “Natural Place to Be”. Flooding Nature with people unaccustomed to preservation and conservation of our farmland and wetlands is a Natural Disaster in the making. Fast-paced imposed urban development is NOT a Natural occurrence. Rather, it seems to be spawned by much more ignoble motives and intentions.

Did you know that according to Statistics Canada, our national fertility rate has been steadily declining over the past few decades, with the total fertility rate reaching a record low of 1.40 children per woman in 2020. This is below the replacement rate, indicating that the population is not replacing itself through natural childbirth alone.

What this means is that we cannot possibly be having a “housing crisis” warranting excessive growth in our municipality, let alone in Waterford.

Let’s be truthful in speaking and say that we have a National Criminal Migration problem, and a problem with certain visitors overstaying their visas and their welcome.

Let us admit publicly and on the record that Norfolk does not have the needed infrastructure, social supports, policing, medical, emergency and fire services to accommodate what is in The Plan set out for us by the Province.

Furthermore, Waterford’s population has already grown exponentially in the last 20 years, and we don’t even have a beat cop in the office most times. As you know, with higher population density comes the opportunity for higher criminal activity.

We townies do not want our town to become like downtown Simcoe or Brantford, where shops are regularly broken into, Seniors are afraid to walk the streets, and clientele are disgusted by the dissipation of the area.

Irresponsible development is a threat to our core tourism and agriculturally-based economy in Norfolk County.

We the people have always successfully run and protected Norfolk … not land speculators and property developers.

You are OUR Public Servants.

We are respectfully but firmly asking you to show your allegiance fiscally, morally, and conscientiously to us the people who build and develop and beautify our County for others to visit, enjoy, and LEAVE when the party is over.

We ask that you help us preserve and protect our quiet way of life by listening more carefully to us, the ratepayers and taxpayers than to those who profit off our exploitation. Please amend the Urban Boundary Proposal to to not include the super-expansion of development at the North and South ends of our village. Keep Norfolk the precious Garden of Ontario, and Waterford the protected “Natural Place” to be as memorial to our forefathers, and the sake of our great-grandchildren!