Ontario farmers fear losing generational land as DND presses ahead with radar project

UNSPLASH PHOTO

Farmers in Clearview Township, Ont., say a proposed federal radar installation has left their community anxious and uncertain after the Department of National Defence (DND) sent letters asking if they would consider selling their land. 

Rachel Brooks told CBC the notice "immediately impacted my sense of security," adding she wondered, “Is this a joke?” when she opened it. The project — part of a $38-billion upgrade to NORAD — requires more than 1,600 hectares of farmland, and residents fear expropriation despite DND’s statement that it is “not currently working on expropriation of land plans.”

“It’s hard to deal with knowing that we might lose it all,” said Matt Hutchinson, a fifth-generation farmer. His wife, Jennifer, added, “We’re at a standstill… farmers don’t limbo.” 

Local MP Terry Dowdall says he still hasn’t received clarity on whether the government would proceed without voluntary sales. Clearview Mayor Doug Measures warned that removing “4,000 acres out of production will most definitely have a ripple effect” on the local economy and way of life. As uncertainty grows, residents say they are still “waiting for another envelope to show up in the mailbox.”