County of Brant announced that it now officially owns the Apps’ Mill Nature Centre and 4.5 acres of surrounding lands on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
Apps’ Mill Nature Centre was established in the early 1980s following a major donation from SC Johnson to the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).
Since then, the GRCA has spent decades delivering environmental education programs at Apps’ Mill for people of all ages. Each year, more than 6,000 elementary and secondary school students visit the nature centre, along with community groups taking part in outdoor learning experiences.
In 2021, amendments made to Ontario’s Conservation Authorities Act changed how organizations like the GRCA could fund environmental education programs. More specifically, the programs could not operate with any municipal funding as it had in the past, unless a formal agreement was put in place.
Following a review of its programming, the GRCA approached the City and the County in November 2023 to inquire about their interest in entering into an agreement to provide funding toward the operating and capital costs for the Outdoor Environmental Education Program and the Apps’ Mill Nature Centre facility and grounds.
Those discussions have since led to a finalized agreement, with the County now taking ownership of the nature centre and approximately 4.5 acres of supporting land from the GRCA.
The County, GRCA and City have also entered into a three-party agreement outlining shared responsibilities for the facility’s capital and operating costs.
Under the agreement, Apps’ Mill will remain a recreational and educational venue, and the County will be responsible for all capital costs related to the operation and maintenance of the nature centre, estimated at approximately $2.2 million over 20 years.
According to a Brantford staff report from Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the City will provide $112,000 annually to the GRCA to support its nature programming for school groups at Apps’ Mill, starting in January 2027.
“For decades, school programming has been an important and cherished part of the Apps’ Mill Nature Centre, and a key priority of the agreement is to ensure that the GRCA’s existing environmental education programming for school groups continues for a minimum of ten years, beginning with the 2026–2027 school year,” stated an October 26 County news release. “The agreement also provides opportunities for both the County of Brant and the City of Brantford to book and use the Nature Centre for additional community programming outside of GRCA’s regular programming hours.”
The news release continued, with both David Bailey, Mayor for the County of Brant, and Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford, saying they were pleased to see that both communities would continue to benefit from the beloved nature centre.
“We are very happy to be part of the future of the Apps’ Mill Nature Centre,” Bailey said. “Thank you to the Grand River Conservation Authority staff for continuing to deliver important programming to our community, and to the City of Brantford for their partnership on this important project. Knowing that this special place in the County will be available for future generations to learn and enjoy makes me very proud.”
Davis added, “Environmental education plays an important role in helping young people develop an understanding of conservation and an appreciation for our region’s natural heritage. We are proud to partner with the County of Brant and the Grand River Conservation Authority to support the continued delivery of programming at the Apps’ Mill Nature Centre. Through this collaboration, students from across Brantford and the County of Brant will continue to benefit from hands-on learning experiences for many years to come.”
While the County now owns the nature centre and the 4.5 acres of accompanying land, the GRCA will continue to maintain the approximately 40 hectares of mature forests, fields and wetlands surrounding it.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
