Stouffville council, MP, speak out against development of Pickering Airport

Issue has been on and off the burner ever since the federal government expropriated land

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 9, 2019
Simon Martin

While political leaders in Durham and parts of York Region are singing the praises of the potential development of the Pickering Airport, Whitchurch-Stouffville politicians are humming a much different tune.

At Aug. 27 council Markham-Stouffville MP Jane Philpott and town council both spoke out against the development of the Pickering Airport which has been on and off the burner ever since the federal government expropriated land for the project in 1972.

Back in June, Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt said he wanted more information about the matter before taking a stance. While a comprehensive report on the airport completed by KPMG has yet to be made public, town council passed a motion that requested Transport Canada reconsider the Pickering airport project if there is no clear business case to support it. The motion stated numerous studies and debates since the 1970s have failed to establish a business case that justifies the need for a new airport.

“I really struggled with it as I do see the obvious benefits of an airport,” Lovatt said. “I still really struggle with the fact there is not a strong business case for it.”

Lovatt said he took a lot of criticism for not coming out publicly earlier this year on the matter but said he was resolved in his position not to cave to social media pressure on the matter. “I am more secure today as to why we think there are alternative forms of transportation the federal government and provincial government should be looking into.”

Philpott said when weighing the costs and benefits of the airport the benefits seem minimal for Whitchurch-Stouffville. “There is strong public opinion against the airport,” she said.

Philpott said it is unfortunate that the contents of the report from KPMG are not yet available to the public. At council she speculated that they won’t be made public until November even though the analysis has been completed. Earlier this summer, Philpott said she does not support moving ahead with an airport because of the need to protect the environment and some of the finest agricultural land in the country.

Alternative forms of transportation like rail are important to consider, Philpott said to council. She mentioned that Via Rail is looking to add a possible new route between Toronto and Ottawa via Peterborough. A passenger service on this line would go right through Markham-Stouffville on the existing CN track and it is possible that such a dedicated transportation line would have up to 15 trains a day, she said.

The stance from Philpott and Whitchurch-Stouffville council is much different from that of York Region Chair and former Whitchurch-Stouffville mayor Wayne Emmerson. Earlier this summer Emmerson threw his support behind the airport. “The federal government has to make a decision one way or another,” he said. “It is about the economic development all around the airport. Jobs are very crucial.” Emmerson said the airport would bring high-level jobs to the area boosting the economy.

In Durham Region, there is a strong support for the Pickering airport. Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Brock, and Uxbridge councils have all individually passed resolutions in support of the Pickering airport.

Durham Regional Council passed a resolution in February 2017 recognizing the importance of airport infrastructure in supporting regional economic development.

The town’s staff report on the matter said the catastrophic failure of Mirabel Airport in Montreal offers important insight especially when the numbers for the Pickering Airport don’t add up.

“The need for a new airport in the GTA and decision to expropriate the Pickering lands were based on a projected volume of 96.4 million passengers flying to, from or through Pearson Airport by 2000,” the report said. “This has never happened. The latest Pearson Airport Master Plan (2017-2037) by GTAA suggests that there were only 47 million passengers in 2017, less than half of the volume projected for the year 2000.”