Frank Meyers died Sept. 15 at the age of 92, never having accepted from government a cheque for his expropriated farm.

The farm, expropriated in 2013 for the relocation of Canada’s “elite,” training force Joint Task Force 2, sits vacant; littered with rocks and fill; the barns destroyed, as government balances the rising cost of relocation against the reality that its elite force should remain close to Ottawa.

Frank Meyers, his son said last week, had been ill for some time “even while the government expropriation had been going on but he was tough as they come and always up for the fight to do the right thing.”

John Meyers added that Frank had been basically housebound for the last year.

“The last comment that he would have said to the government that would be printable and more than four letters long would be that they should have put the base expansion at Mountain View instead of destroying prime agricultural land and disrupting our family farm life,” John Meyers said in an emailed response to questions from Ontario Farmer.

Instead, the federal government appears to be wavering on the decision.

A spokesman told Ontario Farmer last week that, “No decisions have been made to the possible relocation of the special forces training centre at Dwyer Hill (DHTC).”

Furthermore, the spokesman said, “As options are still being developed, it is too early to speculate on possible other uses for the land acquired in Trenton.”

Eight Wing Trenton had been considered the ideal location for DHTC, a dozen years ago, the spokesman said, “based on the operational context at the time as colocation with the Trenton airbase would allow for rapid deployments, both at home and during international missions.”

Meyers’ farm had been granted in 1794 to famed spy John Walden Meyers by the Queen, to be owned “forever.” John Walden Meyers’ exploits terrified Americans during the revolution and eventually spawned a (Canadian) series of children’s books where he was portrayed as a brave and daring hero.

However the “the global security environment has changed considerably over the past decade,” the spokesman said, pointing out that an “emerging threat against Western nations is that of “lone wolf” terrorist attacks against targets of tremendous symbolic importance.” The spokesman said Canada’s allies “are looking at the same trends in the security environment and are considering relocating their top-tier special forces units to within close proximity and rapid response time of their national capitals.”

So, the spokesman said, options are being considered for DHTC.

“Any options would incur infrastructure costs, and therefore must be fully planned and assessed before a recommendation can be made to government, including the Treasury Board, for approval according to their normal processes. Options are being developed based on costs to the Crown and operational effectiveness.

The Meyers farm had included a dairy farm with a sweet corn plot before battling government to retain and eventually lose, their farm.

Despite rumours and much animosity within the town of Trenton, which balanced potential jobs against one man’s property rights, John Meyers confirmed vehemently, “No one has ever accepted any government money.”

Though some pieces had been sold by earlier generations, Frank Meyers had purchased them back.

The cost of moving JFT2 has ballooned from $346 million when first proposed, to $1.2 billion this past summer, David Pugliese reported in the National Post in July. In addition the Trudeau Liberals have announced plans to increase the size of the special forces by 600 troops.

“There is a good chance it could end up like the Pickering airport where land was expropriated then never used and when it was finally declared surplus it was too expensive for the original owners to buy it back,” John Meyers told Ontario Farmer.

As late as last year his supporters were urging the government to return the expropriated land to Frank and Marjorie Meyers.

In granting the expropriation, then public works and supply services minister Rona Ambrose, declared, “I am of the opinion that the properties proposed for expropriation are absolutely essential for the safety or security of Canada and, for that reason and in absence of valid justifications to do otherwise, I have confirmed my intention to expropriate.”

After a six-year battle including a social media campaign which saw 50,000 people support his cause in some form, and a stand-off with dozens of Meyers’ supporters, the family was forced out in August 2013.

Ambrose said in her decision that the lands to be expropriated are a “remnant,” of the original 400-hectare grant, and added that a “representative portion of 4.25 hectares with the farmhouse and an outbuilding north of the CNR line will remain with the Meyers family.”

She also reasoned that the family’s history is not lost because the name is preserved with the “existing name of the roadway as Meyers Creek Road,” and a plaque outlining the exploits of the famed Captain John Walden Meyers is placed prominently in Belleville.

Frank Meyers didn’t accept her decision and at the age of 83 planted his farm regardless of her timelines. The minister said she was satisfied that National Defense needed all of the land for the proposed facility which she said would be built to LEED’s sustainability standards.

The family was ordered to vacate the farm by Aug. 21, 2012 but managed to linger long enough for Frank to plant the crop in 2013. It was never harvested.

“We’re not done yet,” a feisty Frank Meyers told Ontario Farmer, shortly after the minister released her decision.

“I’ll meet with that Ambrose before we’re finished, he said.”

But he never did.

Ambrose dismissed concerns about the “irreversible loss,” of Class 1 agricultural land, saying “other non-operating family farms,” are available for purchase.

“The Meyers family will receive fair compensation for their ownership interests and may utilize proceeds to continue farming on available replacement lands of similar or superior quality,” she wrote in her decision.

She said the family’s livelihood should not be jeopardized and discounted the notion that the area was losing a piece of its history.

“Notwithstanding location there are many opportunities for community and cultural groups to celebrate Captain John Meyer’s accomplishments,” Ambrose wrote.