Moratorium on development of Haldimand Tract raises questions for Arrowdale golf course

The City of Brantford has said it will resume selling the Arrowdale golf course lands since its legal battle with an opposing group has come to a close. 

But a moratorium on development in the Haldimand Tract, recently announced by The Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC), raises questions for how far buyers will get. 

Know Your City Inc., which filed an application for judicial review against how city councillors made the decision to sell the lands, sees the moratorium as a win. 

"Consequently, development of the Arrowdale lands will not take place at this time, which was one of our primary goals," said Veronica Martisius, director of Know Your City Inc, in a media release.

"Given all of the circumstances, we are very pleased with this result."

The nine-hole course falls in the Haldimand Tract, which includes 10 kilometres on either side of the Grand River. It was granted to Six Nations of the Grand River in 1784 for allying with the British in the American Revolution. 

The HCCC, the traditional government of the Six Nations, made the call for a moratorium last week. Elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Chief Mark Hill later voiced support. 

Some Brantford residents have strongly opposed the sale, saying the course was loved by seniors and junior golfers. They also said it would result in lost green space. 

Know Your City Inc. was created by members of the Friends of Arrowdale group that petitioned to save the course. 

After an Ontario Divisional Court dismissed Know Your City's application for judicial review in January, the group filed a motion for leave to appeal. The Ontario Court of Appeals said on Wednesday that it was denying this motion.

In a release, the city said that meant it would move forward with selling 31.97 acres of land and keeping 17 acres for a community park. The proceeds minus the costs of the sale, it said, will go toward affordable housing. 

Elite M.D. Developments offered to buy the land for $14 million, which the city approved in August 2020. But the sale has yet to officially close, with the court granting a stay that temporarily prevented the property from changing hands. 

A statement from the City of Brantford said that regarding the moratorium, "it is reviewing recent statements" made by the HCCC, "however, nothing in a purported development moratorium would impact the transfer of ownership of lands within the City of Brantford." 

The city did not address the development of the park within its statement, but in an earlier release said it will share renderings of the plans in the coming days on its social media platforms and website. 

CBC News also reached out to Elite M.D. Developments, but did not receive an answer. The HCCC has set up the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) to work with developers.