North Dundas’ water supply frustrations boil over at council

WINCHESTER – Facing continued water supply issues limiting residential growth, and increasing demand, frustration was on the agenda for North Dundas council at their October 22 meeting.

The township is about to put an eighth well into service, adding to supply for the Winchester and Chesterville village drinking water systems. This is only a stop-gap measure explained Mayor Tony Fraser at council Wednesday night.

“I want them to understand that their lack of response to our needs, the needs of the Township of North Dundas, have fallen on deaf ears at the provincial level,” Fraser said. “I was really going to mind how I say certain things because I don’t want to put us as a township in a bind, but when I hear of $82 million being allocated to support camping along the southern part of SDG and yet we can’t find enough money to make sure we have enough water to support residential and industrial growth.”

In early-July, the province announced funding which included tying the St. Lawrence Parks Commission’s campgrounds and facilities into the water and wastewater systems in South Stormont and South Dundas.

North Dundas has faced water supply issues for decades. Weather conditions and a drought this year have only escalated the problem. The Nation River is not a large enough river to draw on for supply.

Fraser and other municipal officials have been lobbying the provincial government for funding to build a 20 kilometre supply line connecting to neighbouring South Dundas’ water system. That system draws from the St. Lawrence River.

The mayor said it was frustrating to see support for other projects in the region, but not something as critical as the water supply.

“We have other industries that are looking to move here. We have businesses that want to move here, and they all get the same message – there is no water for growth,” the mayor said. “That’s not just a message to you, that’s a message to everyone who wants to enter North Dundas and start a business.”

Fraser said he could not understand how residential, commercial, and industrial growth—along with the jobs it supports— is less important to the Ontario government than tourism.

Frustration boiled over earlier during a presentation by local Lactalis officials, detailing a three-phase expansion plan for what is already the largest cheese plant in Canada – the former Ault/Parmalat facility in Winchester.

Officials detailed how the facility will grow from producing 44,000 tonnes of cheese per year to 55,000 tonnes per year. The company is spending nearly $92 million on the upgrade. The facility manufacturers cheese under the Black Diamond and Balderson brands. Lactantia butter is also produced in the facility. The butter line is also receiving a $4 million upgrade by Lactalis.

The delegation from Lactalis is seeking a 175 water unit increase from the already-strained water system. That is when tempers flared.

Deputy Mayor Theresa Bergeron hit at past actions at the plant for drawing more water from the municipal system than allowed.

“The fact that you did not come to us years ago to discuss your plans tells me that you assumed access to unlimited water. We all know that water is very limited. In the past four years we’ve had no growth because we’ve had no water,” Bergeron stated.

Highlighting recent tax increases, she said that because of the lack of growth to the municipal tax base, property taxes have increased by 40 per cent since 2022, and alluded to another 10 per cent increase on the horizon for next year.

“That’s how much our taxes have gone up because we’ve had no growth, no water,” Bergeron said.

She calculated that if the water that went into the Lactalis plant was used to supply new residential homes, it would bring an extra $10 million in tax revenue. Bergeron’s numbers were not independently verified.

“If your recent overuse from the last year had gone into home building, we would have received $2,313,680 in taxation revenue,” she continued. “In 2024, your tax levy was $162,940, and every year like clockwork, you pay your lawyers to appeal those taxes to get them even lower.”

Bergeron said that the benefits to the community having Lactalis there should not be at the expense of residents.

“You need water to make profits, we just need water to live.”

Bergeron said she wanted to see water conservation efforts and technology upgrades at the plant help to recover half of the water allegedly wasted at the plant, the company to stop appealing what their property tax bill is each year, and to pay to lobby the province for a north-south water link with the St. Lawrence River.

Navid Kobari, plant director for Lactalis Winchester, said that he would take some of this to the company, but defended his employer’s investment in the facility.

“One of the reasons we are here to ask for the water is to stay competitive,” Kobari said, explaining that without investment, the plant would underperform. He added that Ingleside is the only other plant that makes the same lines as Winchester, and had the expansion gone there, employment at the Winchester plant would have suffered.

Councillor John Lennox was more conciliatory, commending the company for presenting at council.

“Winchester is happy to have you, North Dundas is happy to have you,” he said. “I don’t want to see any lip service, I want to see you flipping desks at ROMA in January when we get to sit down with [provincial] ministers saying ‘lets get that pipeline’.”

Councillor Matt Uhrig agreed. “What my focus is to the future,” Uhrig said. “I want to hear about what you can do about the water you already have.”

Uhrig added that the township and company have to work together on the water supply issue.

“I think it’s nice to have an ideally positive corporate partner at the table with us when we reach these levels of government and say listen, Eastern Ontario does exist. There are good jobs here, there is a market here. The 401 doesn’t stop at Oshawa, we do exist here.”