{"id":712698,"date":"2026-06-03T17:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/712698\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T17:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:34:13","slug":"province-asked-to-step-in-as-puslinch-residents-continue-push-back-against-danby-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/712698\/","title":{"rendered":"Province asked to step in as Puslinch residents continue push back against Danby development"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group of residents in the Township of Puslinch are trying to stop a proposed development that would see agricultural land turned into an industrial development.<\/p>\n

The zoning bylaw amendment application submitted to the township November 2025 shows plans for five buildings, including three industrial buildings, one gym and a daycare.<\/p>\n

One of the industrial buildings will include headquarters for Danby Appliances and the Upper Canada Forest Group, as well as a smaller retail space, conference rooms and a food service area.<\/p>\n

There are also plans to include 894 car parking spaces, a septic field and a storm management pond.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Danby CEO explains why he wants new headquarters in Puslinch:\"\"<\/p>\n

Danby CEO explains why he wants new headquarters in Puslinch<\/p>\n

A group of residents in the Township of Puslinch is urging the province to let them decide what developments get built in their community after Danby Appliances CEO Jim Estill submitted an application for an MZO (ministerial zoning order). The request to rezone the land from agriculture to industrial is also currently before the Puslinch township council. Estill told CBC News why he’s decided to ask the province to step in.<\/p>\n

Residents have been raising concerns about the development since early 2022. They plan to host another community meeting 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Puslinch Community Centre.<\/p>\n

The development is planned for 4631 Sideroad 20 North and 4599 Sideroad 20 North in Puslinch, which is located right on the Guelph-Puslinch border.<\/p>\n

“Biggest thing there that you’re not seeing is the divide between the two communities [Puslinch and Guelph],” said Justin Wilson, a Puslinch resident who lives less than a kilometre away from the land being eyed for the development.<\/p>\n

\"screenshotThe red map marker in this Google Maps view shows where the new development is proposed to go, its proximity to the existing development area on the Guelph side of the border and how close it is to The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada in Puslinch. (Google Maps)<\/p>\n

The Guelph side is home to many industrial buildings, including a Medline Canada facility, a warehouse for the online pharmacy Well.ca, a government data centre and a Tim Hortons distribution centre. <\/p>\n

The Puslinch side of the border is rural, made up mostly of farmland.<\/p>\n

Wilson is also a spokesperson for Help Protect Puslinch, a grassroots group made of residents trying to stop the development. He says the Guelph side of the border is zoned commercially and has wastewater pipes and the general infrastructure needed.<\/p>\n

“Puslinch doesn’t have any of that more municipal infrastructure you would need to support a business of this size,” Wilson said.<\/p>\n

\"copyThis map was submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as part of Danby CEO Jim Estill’s Minister’s Zoning Order application. The area highlighted in red is currently designated as secondary agricultural, rural employment area and core greenlands by the County of Wellington. Those lands would have to be rezoned as industrial land to allow for any manufacturing, warehousing or retail facility. (Township of Puslinch)<\/p>\n

Danby Appliances CEO Jim Estill submitted an application for a minister’s zoning order (MZO) on April 20.<\/p>\n

The MZO application asks to redesignate and rezone the 25.54 hectares, plus an additional property to the south.<\/p>\n

On the Help Protect Puslinch website, residents say they are worried about the impact on groundwater supply, increased traffic, noise and light pollution, depletion of forests and wetlands, loss of agricultural land and the impact on long-standing rural lifestyle and lower property values in the area.<\/p>\n

In report from a May 6 township council meeting, it says Puslinch does not support Estill’s decision to submit an MZO application. Council is asking the minister to refuse the request to allow the township to make the decision to rezone or not itself. <\/p>\n

“We’ve never had, to my knowledge, an MZO application [in Puslinch],” Mayor James Seeley said during the May 6 township council meeting.<\/p>\n

“This is new territory for all of us … We’re doing our best to stay informed.”<\/p>\n

CBC News reached out to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to ask about Estill’s MZO application, but the ministry has not responded.<\/p>\n

Donkey sanctuary ‘scared stiff’ of development impacts<\/p>\n

There is also concern about the proximity of the development to the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada, which is located directly next to the property where Danby wants to build.<\/p>\n

David Pady, co-director of the sanctuary, says their non-profit attracts 10,000 visitors a year.<\/p>\n

“We’re really concerned that if we all of a sudden have a gigantic manufacturing plant on our doorstep, how that will affect us and the donkeys?” Pady said.<\/p>\n

“We have these rolling hills, forest, ponds, wetlands. It’s pretty unique. Your world changes when you come in. So if you come by a great big factory just before you enter our gate, we’re just scared stiff of the effect that will have on the people coming to visit us,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"screenshot\"Default Caption: This Google Earth view shows the proximity of the proposed location of the facility and The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada. The yellow line between the two red map markers represents less than a kilometre of distance. (Google Earth)<\/p>\n

Pady is worried about the long-term impact on the sanctuary’s ability to expand.<\/p>\n

“To be sustainable long term we need more land, but this has also driven the price of farm land around us way off and we can’t at the moment afford to buy anything to have long-term protection for the donkeys,” he said.<\/p>\n

Why apply for an MZO?<\/p>\n

An MZO order would have to be approved on the provincial level. It would override any decision the township makes and cannot be appealed.<\/p>\n

Estill said he’s seeking an MZO to try and get the project done in a more timely manner.<\/p>\n

“This is going to happen. It’s a matter of whether we can do it in a timely manner or whether it has to be sold to speculators who will do it at a future date. A zoning order is done to simply speed up red tape,” Estill said.<\/p>\n

“This is on the Hanlon Expressway. It’s on a gravel pit. So it’s a perfect location.”<\/p>\n

\"stylizedThis digital approximation of the Danby development project was included in the Zoning By-law Amendment application sent to the Township of Puslinch. It includes five buildings, including a retail space, a gym and a daycare. (Sweeny&Co Architects)<\/p>\n

He says moving to a different location in Puslinch won’t solve the problem. And he has a plan if the MZO order is not approved.<\/p>\n

“What you’ll have there [in another location] is another group of residents who will have their reasons why it shouldn’t be there,” Estill said.<\/p>\n

“We’re a business. We have significant operations in Findlay, Ohio. Findlay, Ohio is much more business friendly and can work much faster. It does not mean we would close [existing locations in Guelph]. We would simply not expand in the Guelph area.”<\/p>\n

\"blueprints\"This drawing shows the proposed layout of the development in more detail. The plans include a septic field, a storm management area and a small wetland area behind the buildings. (Sweeny&Co Architects)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A group of residents in the Township of Puslinch are trying to stop a proposed development that would…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":712699,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[45,49,48],"class_list":["post-712698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/712699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}