Say NO to Flato Development Inc.’s Farmland Grab Scheme in Kawartha

In 2021, Flato Developments Inc. began lobbying the Kawartha city council to rezone 156 hectares of farmland in Cameron from “agricultural” and “rural” to “tourist commercial.” Flato aims to build a private resort with 423 seasonal homes, a private water filtration plant, sewage treatment facilities, and a golf course. “Kawartha Bay” resort is set to replace two agricultural properties. These properties have mixed usages like cropland, pastures for grazing, wetland and woodland. None of the homes will be permanent housing. Developing “Kawartha Bay” will create an exclusive community with secondary homes and short-term rentals.

Aside from the loss of invaluable farmland, this would negatively impact regional biodiversity. These farms are home to rare and endangered species of birds, insects, and plants. More than 12 birds from the Species at Risk Act can currently be found on one of the properties.

Flato has achieved this development opportunity by purchasing land zoned as “agricultural” or “rural” and overriding the wishes of local communities by pressuring local governments to rezone the land. They strategically integrated themselves into the community through philanthropic bribery like donations to the local community college, hospital, and theatre. This developer tactic has become all too common with farmland development.

To develop housing responsibly would be to build accessible, affordable year-round housing on non-agricultural land – not pave over invaluable farmland for an exclusive seasonal resort that caters only to the ultra-rich. 

“The so-called ‘Kawartha Bay’ project comes off as a vanity project of a developer who has no concern for protecting farmland or environmentally sensitive land. It would be a feather in Shakir Rehmatullah’s cap to build a prestigious golf course resort, but it would come at the expense of the social, ecological and agricultural integrity of the land and the community.” – Brian Walsh, Say No to Flato organizer.

Say No to Flato is a coalition of local residents, farmers, and business owners involved in environmental protection, affordable housing, and the local food movement. They resist the takeover of their vibrant communities by large corporations. Check out their website, sign the petition, write to a local official, and learn about letter writing and presentation tips to help fight against land grabbing in Kawartha.