Pickering airport proposal is 50 years old. Opponents hope it will finally be scrapped
Global News
Those who support the airport argue, however, that it would provide a 'rare opportunity' to boost the region's economy and attract investments.
After decades of protests against a long-standing proposal to build an airport in Pickering, Ont., opponents of the project are optimistic it will soon be abandoned for good.
Those hopes hinge on two recent developments: a Pickering council vote declaring a lack of support for an airport and a suggestion from the federal government that a newly-announced study could ultimately conclude that an airport on the Pickering Lands “is not required in the long term.”
Those who support the airport argue, however, that it would provide a “rare opportunity” to boost the region’s economy and attract investments.
The federal government’s final decision on the proposal will follow results of a Transport Canada study on airport capacity needs in southern Ontario, announced in April.
The Pickering Lands span 18,600 acres of land in Pickering, Markham, Ont., and Uxbridge, Ont., located 56 kilometres east of downtown Toronto, that the federal government acquired in 1972 for the development of an airport. After three years of protests, the development was put on hold in favour of expanding Ontario’s already-built airports.
Since then, Ottawa has leased portions of the Pickering Lands to several residential, commercial and farm tenants. Nearly 10,000 acres were given to Parks Canada for the creation of the Rouge National Urban Park.
The remaining 8,700 acres of the Pickering Lands belong to Transport Canada for a potential future airport. A report commissioned by Transport Canada in 2016 ultimately concluded that a new airport is not expected to be required in southern Ontario before 2036, based on projected demand.
Last week, Pickering city council passed a motion to renege the city’s support for the airport, citing the report commissioned by Transport Canada and the city’s own commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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