Schneider family land donation stuck in municipal red-tape

For over 40 years now, the Schneider family, known for their major food-processing company, has owned a 235 acre plot of land in Wilmot.

The family has managed to conserve the ecologically-significant land for all this time.  The tree-filled land is home to many animal and plant species.

The land has also been open to the community. Visitors stop by for many recreational activities like bird-watching, hiking and skiing.

Now, as the 94-year-old matriarch of the Schneider family grows older, she wants to donate the property to rare Charitable Research Reserve to help ensure the continued preservation of the land, but they're facing some roadblocks from the Township of Wilmot.

Stephanie Sobek-Swant is the executive director of rare Charitable Research Reserve.

She says the township wants the Schneiders to first build a parking lot on the land before donating it.

"The Schneider family has been very clear right from the get go that they are not in favour of [building a parking lot] and that they would not permit that," Sobek-Swant said.

"We've also have word from the GRCA who said it would be very difficult from an engineering perspective to even build there because it's mostly wetland in the areas that's close to the road and they would likely also not even give permission to do it."

She said her organization is passionate about conserving the land for years to come.

"You do not find a lot of property owners who would be willing to forgo selling a piece of property that they probably could make upwards of $2 million off if they sold it. There's also very few people who have done similar excellent stewardship of land like the Schneider family has shown they're such passionate conservationists."

Sobek-Swant says time is ticking for the land donation as the Schneider family's matriarch continues to grow older and the donation would become more complicated if she died before it was handed over. She added that the family has been stuck in a back-and-forth with the township for over four years now.

Statement from Township of Wilmot

The Township of Wilmot sent CBC News a statement saying it's following "provincially regulated municipal best practices" when dealing with the Schneider family land.

"While we are immensely grateful for this generous donation to the rare Charitable Reserve, we must follow best practices and apply the same requirements we would apply to anyone in Wilmot," the statement said.

"In this case, there has been an application for an amendment to the Township's zoning bylaws and it was concluded a parking solution is required to ensure the safety of local residents and limit taxpayers' liability."

The township also noted that it plans to continue to try and find a solution by working with the Schneider family and the city of Waterloo, which also borders the land in the middle of the dispute.