Economic Development Public Consultation or Political Cover?

The Municipality of the District of Shelburne is now conducting a Public Consultation, asking residents for feedback on the land purchased along Highway 103. Before participating, residents should understand the full context surrounding not only this purchase, but also the earlier acquisition of Hartz Point—both of which were made without any documented plan, analysis, or public engagement. This background is essential to evaluating what this “consultation” truly represents

1. Major Decisions Made With No Plan

The pattern is consistent and deeply concerning.

Hartz Point was purchased without any plan or cost‑benefit analysis.

Check out this video for confirmation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhnLCgyRQYw

Only after this unplanned purchase did the municipality rush to create the Economic Growth Committee — a committee formed not to guide a thoughtful strategy, but to provide political cover for a decision already made. Its very timing reveals its purpose: legitimization after the fact.

The land along Highway 103 was also purchased without a plan or cost‑benefit analysis.

Again, only after the purchase did the municipality hire a consulting firm—not to assess whether the acquisition made sense, but to tell them what to do with land they had already bought.

In the video below, you can hear the CAO attempting to tie the Hartz Point purchase to the Highway 103 properties, further blurring the lines between two unplanned decisions: https://youtu.be/kJ6L4ua6p9Q?t=2551

And this isn’t the end of it—MODS has already signaled that even more consultants will be hired in 2026.

Two major acquisitions. No planning. No analysis. No public engagement.

2. Consultants Brought In to Retroactively Justify the Decisions

Once the land was already bought, MODS hired consultants — not to evaluate whether the purchases were sound, but to craft a plan after the money was spent.

The consultants were instructed to:

• Develop a plan for the Highway 103 lands
• Retroactively examine Hartz Point
• Provide a professional veneer to decisions that lacked any strategic foundation

This is not planning. It is an attempt to manufacture legitimacy.

3. A “Public Consultation” Designed to Create the Appearance of Support

Now the municipality is holding a “Public Consultation” to gather “specific feedback on the special planning area located along Highway 103.”

It’s also worth noting when this consultation was announced: December 23, just before the Christmas holidays. If one wanted to ensure minimal public attention, there could hardly be a more effective time to release such an announcement. Important municipal decisions should not be communicated in a way that virtually guarantees the public will miss them.

And when you look at the full timeline, the intent becomes even clearer:

• Land purchased first
• Economic Growth Committee created after the purchase
• Consultants hired after the purchase
• Public consultation announced on Dec 23
• Public consultation held last

This is consultation in name only. The decisions are already made. The process is being staged to create the illusion that the public was involved.

What’s Really Going On?

The evidence points to a clear conclusion: MODS made significant financial decisions without planning, analysis, or public input. Now they are attempting to legitimize those decisions by:

• Creating a committee after the fact
• Hiring consultants to provide political cover
• Using a public consultation to claim community endorsement

The public is being used as political cover.
The consultants are being used as political cover.
And the responsibility for these questionable actions remains entirely with MODS.

Residents deserve a planning process that starts before public money is spent. If you believe decisions should be transparent, accountable, and grounded in real analysis, make your voice heard. Attend the consultation, ask direct questions, and insist on genuine engagement—not after‑the‑fact justification.