Today, the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, the Honourable Anita Anand, announced that the Pickering Lands will not be used for a future airport site. The Government of Canada intends to transfer the high conservation value lands to Parks Canada.
In 1972, the Government of Canada acquired 75 km2 (18,600 acres) of land, 56 kilometers northeast of downtown Toronto, known as the Pickering Lands, to develop a new airport. In 1975, this plan was put on hold in favour of expanding existing airports. Properties on the Pickering Lands have been leased by the government to residential, farm and commercial tenants since then.
A formal consultation process, including with existing tenants, Indigenous communities, and the public, will be launched in the coming weeks on future uses of the lands. These consultations will be critical to determining the path forward.
