The Region of Waterloo claimed it didn't know a massive warehouse being built in Blair was for Amazon when it made a $13.7 million error in calculating development charges.
A year after Amazon developer Brocollini Real Estate Group filed an appeal over the unexpected bill in 2023, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) decided in its favour, ruling the region wouldn't be able to recoup its loss.
That conclusion was handed down in late November.
Soon after CambridgeToday broke the news on Dec. 9, it was followed by immediate backlash on social media.
Many were divided over who was at fault. Was the developer behind the Amazon build being deceptive when it applied for permits with the Region of Waterloo, or were staff at the region negligent for not understanding the one million square foot warehouse, which had been in the news for more than a year, was going to be an Amazon fulfilment centre?
The region was quick to respond to the controversy, announcing by the end of that week it was taking the Ontario Land Tribunal to divisional court over the decision.
Arguably, the timing of the story couldn't have been worse for the region as it entered into final 2025 budget deliberations.
Regional councillors struggled for weeks to cut millions from various programs before landing on a 9.48 per cent tax hike that will raise the average property tax bill by $242.
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