A decades-long battle over whether to build an airport on land in the northern portion of Pickering, Ont. appears to have finally come to an end.
On Monday, the Trudeau government announced that some of the Pickering Lands will be transferred over to Parks Canada, putting an end to a saga that dates back to the early 1970s.
“Our government has determined that a new airport is not the best use of the federal Pickering Lands,” Transportation Minister Anita Anand said.
The federal government said that it will consult with tenants, Indigenous communities as well as area residents to decide what to do with the rest of the land.
Back in 1972, the federal government purchased 18,600 acres of land in Pickering, Uxbridge and Markham with the intention of building a new airport, much to the dismay of many area residents.
Three years later, the idea was put on hold as the government chose to expand existing airports.
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Over the years, the remaining lands in Markham and Uxbridge were given to Parks Canada to help create Rouge National Park but the government held on to the acreage in Pickering, choosing to lease out homes and farmland in the area.
Transport Canada continued to clutch on to 8,700 acres of the Pickering Lands for a potential future airport up until Monday’s announcement.
Over the years, there have been multiple studies conducted on the airport. In 2016, a federal government concluded the Greater Toronto Area would not be in need of a new airport until 2036 at the earliest.
While many in the town have been battling against the idea of an airport on the Pickering Land for decades, there was still a segment of the population that was hoping to see an airport built, including current Mayor Kevin Ashe and Durham Regional Chair John Henry.
The pair touted the economic benefits that an airport would bring for the city.
“The potential for an airport is a rare opportunity to build a strong economic future for the region,” read a statement released by the region in 2023.
The statement was signed by both elected officials and was in response to yet another study by Transport Canada on the aviation needs of the Greater Toronto area.
“If the analysis identifies the need for an airport in Pickering, it will attract investment in aviation and aerospace; provide a hub for international businesses; strengthen Canada’s advanced manufacturing and aviation sectors; and create thousands of jobs, close to home in Durham,” the statement continued.
But a vote to remove support by Pickering council was taken later in the year, with the entire council voting down the idea, aside from Ashe.
*With files from Global News and The Canadian Press
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