Airport lands proposal opens for feedback

This map, included as part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Brant and City of Brantford, outlines the approximately 1,317 acres proposed for transfer to the City. The lands include the Brantford Municipal Airport and surrounding properties, with public consultation and statutory hearings still required before any final boundary adjustment is considered.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

A proposed municipal boundary adjustment involving the Brantford Municipal Airport and more than 1,300 acres of surrounding land is moving into the public consultation phase after the City of Brantford and County of Brant signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the framework for a future agreement.

The proposed adjustment would see approximately 1,317 acres, including the municipally owned Brantford Airport and surrounding lands currently located within the County of Brant, transferred into the City of Brantford. The agreement follows negotiations facilitated by the Province after the City requested a review of the airport lands under the Municipal Act.

While the MOU does not create any enforceable rights, it establishes several key principles that would guide a future agreement between the municipalities, including compensation to the County, property tax protections for affected landowners, servicing arrangements and future governance of the lands.

Under the proposed terms, the County would receive more than $9.6 million in compensation from the City, including payments related to lost taxation revenue and future development potential. Property owners affected by the transfer would continue paying taxes at County rates for up to seven years following the transfer, unless ownership changes or development approvals are obtained. Both municipalities emphasize that the agreement represents only one step in a longer process.

In a statement released following the announcement, the County noted that additional public engagement, continued discussions between the municipalities, statutory public hearings and formal council approvals are still required before any final agreement can be considered.

The City similarly described the MOU as a roadmap for future discussions, stating that public feedback and statutory hearings will help inform council's consideration of a formal restructuring agreement.

Public engagement is scheduled to begin in June through the City's Let’s Talk Brantford platform and two public open houses planned for June 11 at the Walter Gretzky Municipal Golf Course. Residents, landowners, businesses and other stakeholders will have an opportunity to review information, ask questions and provide feedback before the process advances further.

The City has also indicated that approximately 40 properties that may be directly impacted by the proposed boundary adjustment will receive letters and hand-delivered notices.

Not everyone is satisfied with how the process has unfolded so far. 

Travis Welch, founder of the Brant Civic Accountability Association, has been closely following the negotiations and has submitted Freedom of Information requests seeking records related to the provincial facilitator, communications between municipal and provincial officials, airport governance discussions and materials connected to the proposed boundary adjustment. He said the organization has received acknowledgements of its requests and is currently working with the municipalities and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to clarify the scope of records being sought.

Welch believes residents still lack a complete understanding of the long-term implications of the discussions, including questions surrounding future development, servicing, taxation and airport governance. He also argues there are unanswered questions about how the provincial facilitator became involved and what information was available to elected officials during key stages of the process.

As public engagement moves forward, Welch said he will be watching to see whether residents are provided with sufficient information and whether their feedback has a meaningful opportunity to influence the outcome.

He said public trust depends on residents believing their participation can affect decisions rather than simply fulfilling a procedural requirement.

Welch has also expressed concerns about the timing of the discussions during a municipal election year, arguing that decisions with long-term implications for property owners, taxation, infrastructure and community growth deserve extensive public scrutiny and debate. Those views represent the position of the Brant Civic Accountability Association and have not been adopted by either municipality.

Sharing similar feels of lack transparency or public consultation, Ward 5 resideent Andrea Berestovenko brought forward her thoughts during an April 21st meeting of the County of Brant's Administration and Operations Committee. 

"My husband and I chose to build our lives in the Oakhill community in the County of Brant over 20 years ago," Berestovenko told council. "We respectfully oppose an annex of lands to the City of Brantford."

Berestovenko described Oakhill as a close-knit rural community with its own identity and history, arguing that annexation could alter the character of the area while creating uncertainty for residents. She also raised concerns about the level of public consultation, potential land-use changes, impacts on property values and the possibility of higher municipal taxes.

For now, both municipalities are encouraging residents to participate in the consultation process and review the materials before councils consider any final restructuring agreement.

If approved by both councils following public consultation and statutory hearings, a final agreement would be submitted to Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for consideration and implementation.