Detailed plans based on public concerns couldn’t curb rules that significantly restrict ‘mega events’ on farmland; group has no intention to sell local properties and will continue ‘keeping our broader vision alive’
Michael Owen
about 19 hours ago
Through our Newsmakers of 2025 series BradfordToday is taking a look back at a few of the important stories that shaped the news cycle in Bradford West Gwillimbury this year. Here’s a summary of the fallout around a large Muslim conference.
After hosting their first full-scale outdoor Jalsa Salana convention at their 3078 Line 11 property in Bradford in July 2024, and the subsequent fallout from it, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at (AMJ) Canada began 2025 with a promise.
“Whatever it is that our neighbours ask us to do to make life easy on those three days we’ll do it,” national director of public relations for AMJ Asif Khan said.
That was part of a public information meeting at the library on Jan. 14 about the group’s application for a special events permit to again host the annual Jalsa Salana convention at 3078 Line 11 (as well as their neighbouring properties at 3999 Sideroad 10 and 2912 Line 11) on July 4 to 6, 2025.
That convention was expected to draw as many as 25,000 people of all religions to reflect on Islamic principles and celebrate spirituality, knowledge, peace, unity and harmony between faiths.
During the meeting, Khan presented a slide show and discussed the group’s plans to address resident concerns from the 2024 event over traffic, impacts on agricultural land, cell service and emergency response.
Those were partially informed with the help of about 65 residents who attended and provided suggestions during a meet-and-greet hosted by AMJ at the town’s leisure centre on Jan. 7, plus one-on-one feedback from councillors.
Still, it wasn’t enough to convince many residents in attendance, and several suggested that no matter how hard AMJ tried, Sideroad 10 and Line 11 simply weren’t designed to handle the increased traffic.
When asked if AMJ had ever faced similar opposition to the event in other places, Khan pointed only to Pakistan, where Ahmadi Muslims are persecuted, but said to the best of his knowledge, no Western government had prevented the group from hosting the event on their own properties.
“We’ve never faced this in Canada,” he said.
Some residents provided suggestions on how to further address concerns, and retired Lt.-Col. Ferguson Mobbs stood up in defence of AMJ’s efforts to appease everyone.
“These people want to do this for their community,” he said. “Many people died so they would have the right to do that. Let’s open our hearts and support them.”
Khan asked for more time to work with consultants and town staff to further address resident concerns, but one week later on Jan. 21, councillors sitting in committee of the whole recommended changes to the town’s special events bylaw to ban “mega events” on farmland.
Those were approved by council on Feb. 4 and now prohibit events of more than 2,000 people from occurring more than once every 10 years on any property outside the settlement boundary, Highway 400 employment lands or town-owned lands.
According to a Jan. 21 report from staff, the town had only ever issued permits for eight such events and only two were on agricultural properties outside that boundary — for both the 2024 convention and a 2022 pilot event.
Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik put forward the amendment that led to the 10-year limit, and previously explained it was to “protect our agricultural lands,” after he heard updated figures about the rate at which farmland is being lost in Ontario — about 129 hectares per day, based on figures from Statistics Canada.
For AMJ, the ban’s Feb. 4 approval essentially ended about five months of back and forth since a 5-4 split vote on Sept. 17, 2024, first saw council deny AMJ’s special event’s permit for 2025 amid resident concerns.
During that time, AMJ invested “hundreds” of hours working on “countless” consultations, deputations and community engagements — some of which were met with unverified accusations from residents.
“The decision had a profound impact on our community,” media relations director Safwan Choudhry said during a September interview.
He noted the new rule effectively prevents the group from hosting the event at their Bradford properties, despite the “significant” investment and planning they put into ensuring it would benefit not just their own members, but also the broader community.
“While it was disappointing, our community has always responded to challenges with patience, perseverance, and prayer,” Choudhry said of the new bylaw.
The February decision also left AMJ with only about five months to rework all their event planning in order to pivot and return to the International Centre in July. That required “tremendous effort” to prepare infrastructure, security, catering and accommodations for tens of thousands of guests.
“By the grace of God and the tireless spirit of our members, we adapted quickly,” Choudhry said.
Despite the overall setback, Choudhry said council’s decision doesn’t define the entire town, and AMJ leadership still see Bradford as a warm and welcoming community.
While one councillor had suggested that denying AMJ members the right to practise their religious beliefs on their own land could conflict with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Choudhry said the group’s focus remains on constructive dialogue, not litigation.
The new rule doesn’t prevent AMJ members from gathering elsewhere, but the inability to use their own property as a dedicated site does impact the scale, atmosphere and accessibility of the convention, according to Choudhry.
“The bylaw certainly requires us to reassess timelines and strategies,” he said. “We must now consider how best to balance our spiritual, communal, and logistical needs within the regulatory framework that has been imposed.”
According to documents from the Ontario Land Tribunal, AMJ purchased the properties in 2008, and Choudhry said the long-term goal was to create a purpose-built site that could support agricultural and community initiatives year-round while also acting as a permanent home for the annual Jalsa Salana convention.
While that may no longer be feasible, Choudhry confirmed there are no plans to sell 3999 Sideroad 10, 3078 Line 11 or 2912 Line 11, and they plan to continue growing crops. Future uses could also include livestock and/or farmers’ markets.
“Our community has always been patient and forward-looking,” he said. “We will continue to use the land in ways that are beneficial and permissible, while keeping our broader vision alive.”
A portion of the northern property, 3999 Sideroad 10, is also planned to one day become a cemetery.
Meanwhile, a dedicated group of members have remained committed to charitable efforts, including shovelling snow, food drives, blood drives and the Run for Bradford.
Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Canada, Jalsa Salana
big country, small hearts…