On Tuesday June 11, 2013, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, on behalf of the Harper government, announced their plans for the expansive Pickering Lands. It looks like Pickering is to get an international airport, but some issues have already arisen.

The plans for the Pickering Lands

The Pickering Lands span about 18,600 acres. The plan calls for these acres to be split into three parts: an international airport, the Rouge National Urban Park, and space for “economic development.”

The airport would comprise about 4,650 acres of the Pickering Lands, making it larger than Pearson Airport by a good couple hundred acres. The need for another large-scale, international airport has been called into question, but we’ll touch on that later.

The Rouge National Urban Park will consist of 5,000 acres and serve as an extension to the existing park, making the total area of the park almost 15,000 acres. According to Parks Canada, who will take ownership over the park, about 60 percent of the land will continue to serve as farmland, and half of it will probably be closed to the public.

The third section of the Pickering Lands is dedicated to “economic development,” a vague designation. This basically means that 5,000 acres is being kept aside for future plans for almost anything: housing, industrial, agricultural, educational – any industry is fair game when it comes to “economic development.”

Issues with the Pickering airport

The government has owned the Pickering Lands since 1972, and for the past 40 years locals have been battling talk of an airport. Apparently, the announcement on June 11 came as a surprise to everyone, including local councillors and even some provincial politicians.

Minister Glen Murray claims that he was not aware of the announcement of the airport, and thought that he was at the event yesterday for the launching of the Rouge National Urban Park. Local Pickering councillor Peter Rodrigues stated that he wasn’t even invited to the event.

According to NDP MP Olivia Chow, no consultation on a municipal or provincial level has been made, and an environmental assessment has not been completed or even started.

In 2011, Transport Canada released a study stating that the Greater Golden Horseshoe would need a new airport by 2027, and that the Pickering Lands is a “prime location” for it. Flaherty cited this study as proof that an international airport is required. He believes that the west side of the GTA has been well concentrated because of Pearson, and it’s the east end’s turn for development.

What’s your opinion?

What do you think about the plans for the Pickering airport? Do you believe there is a need for an international airport on the east side of the GTA? What would you recommend as a better use for the Pickering Lands? Perhaps an airport would do some good for the area. It would most likely create jobs and spur housing development.

If you wish to learn more about the plans for the Pickering Lands, public information sessions are being held by Transport Canada on Monday June 24 and Thursday June 27 at the Bushwood Golf Club in Markham at 10905 Reesor Rd. The info sessions start at 6 p.m. sharp!