How much longer they can stay here is the uncomfortable question nobody wants to answer. At last count, the government has acquired five of the 12 properties (380 acres) but because the workings of JTF 2 are shrouded in such secrecy, DND will not say when construction is expected to begin or when the troops will arrive. When asked if holdout owners will be expropriated, the military would only say it “is committed to following the government of Canada rules and regulations regarding land acquisitions in order to provide the Canadian Forces with the land and infrastructure needed to support operational requirements.”
A spokesman for Public Works confirmed that the department still wants all 990 acres—and that discussions can’t drag on forever. “The reality of the situation is our client, DND, needs the land for a specific cause, and to have this negotiation just go on indefinitely would obviously not benefit anybody,” Jeremy Link says. Does that mean expropriation is inevitable? “We are still in discussions with the landowners. In terms of dates and possible actions, we haven’t received any further directives from DND.”
Rick Norlock, the MP who was so anxious to trumpet JTF 2’s arrival, would not speak to Maclean’s. His spokesman, Thomas Rittwage, says although his boss has forwarded some of the owners’ concerns to the minister of public works, he cannot interfere with the negotiations. Is Norlock troubled by the fact that some of his constituents are being forced from their homes? “You have to weigh the concerns of the best interests of the broader community,” Rittwage says. “The impact economically on the city of Quinte West is so huge that it would be very disappointing if this fell through. So it’s weighing those things against one another and being open and talking with our constituents.”
Frank Meyers is finished talking. Sitting behind the wheel of his GMC pickup truck, dressed in blue jeans and brown workboots, he vows to never sign away what his forefathers handed down—no matter the price. “I can’t,” he says. “It’s family land. I have no idea what I’m going to do. I’ll just have to wait until that day comes.”
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