Pickering International Airport Construction Plans Announced

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty today announced that plans for building an International Airport in Pickering will begin immediately, in a massive site roughly bordered by Brock Road in Pickering and York-Durham Line, and Highway 407 to Stouffville Road.  The construction will take approximately 10 years to complete. The lands currently reserved for the Pickering Airport site are owned by the federal government and encompass 18,600 acres within north Pickering, Markham and Uxbridge.  Environment Minister Peter Kent has indicated that 5,000 acres on the west side of the site will be transferred to the Rouge National Urban Park. In comparison, Toronto Pearson International Airport covers 4,613 acres, and is by far Canada's busiest airport, and is projected to handle the GTA's capacity requirements until 2030, according to the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA). Buttonville Airport in Markham is slated for closure in coming years.  Transport Canada had also released a study in July, 2011 showing the need for a new regional airport as early as 2027. Given that the debate on this facility has been going on for decades, the announcement today has been met with widely varying receptions, from excitement at the prospects of jobs and opportunities for business, to outrage from area residents opposed to the plans potential impact on area sprawl, noise and impact on the environment.                 [socialpoll id="8732"]