Volunteers communicating the need for Pickering Airport
By Ted Nickerson First, an admission: I am a long-time supporter of the full economic development of the federal Pickering lands, including a new major airport. Sure, I was disappointed by the federal decision not to build an airport in Pickering. I was surprised, too, since all studies commissioned over the last 20 years by […]
“I almost wish I hadn’t gone down the rabbit-hole…and yet…and yet” Alice in Wonderland I should have realized that, in this day and age, it doesn’t take much to bring out the conspiracy theorists but that’s exactly what my recent posting “Missing Aviation Capacity”, has done. Thanks to a recent freedom of information request, […]
In April 2023, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced a study on aviation capacity. This continued the tradition of using independent advisors to ensure good governance of Canada’s airports and prevent influence from business interests, regional competition, and corruption. However, recent events suggest a serious issue has arisen. The introduction of the announcement of the […]
President Donald Trump has initiated economic actions against Canada, breaking trade agreements and military treaties. He has mentioned using “economic force” to annex Canada. This move has shocked many long-time admirers of America. It also exposes Canada’s economic vulnerability in logistics. New airport infrastructure can help redirect Canadian trade away from the U.S. and […]
Just a week after promising to cancel Pickering airport, Canada’s Liberal government dropped another infrastructure announcement that was thin on reasoning and light on details: a huge 3.9 Billion dollar taxpayer-funded paper chase for the design and analysis of an HSR (High-Speed Rail) line to link Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. Critics argue these […]
At around 2 pm on Monday, February 17th, a passenger jet with 80 people crashed while landing at Toronto Pearson Airport in high winds. The airport was closed for hours, and some runways will stay closed for days, reducing capacity. Fortunately, thanks to the quick response of the fire crews and the professionalism of the […]
On Monday, a surprise dramatic announcement took place that could cost taxpayers billions. Canada’s Transport Minister, Anita Anand, said the Federal Liberal government has decided against allowing the development of Pickering Airport. Minister Anand’s promised to transfer the “vast majority” of federal land set aside for economic development and an airport to Parks Canada. This […]
The Toronto region’s rapid growth is creating a demand for new infrastructure. Any land development project will have its supporters and its detractors. The latter are typically individuals or small groups concerned about development impacts like traffic congestion. They want to maintain the status quo fearing a reduced quality of life. A few people are […]
By Ted Nickerson Back in March 2023, I posted my “Final” update to passenger recovery post-COVID. Well, I couldn’t let it go and have discovered some surprising insights that everyone needs to hear. Here is a June 2024 snapshot (a snapshot since Statistics Canada, a key credible data source, has not released the 2023 Canadian […]
By Ted Nickerson & Mark Brooks Way back in 1972, after the federal government assembled the lands in Pickering for a future airport, the province established 5 Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs). The goal is to further protect for an airport by restricting uses on lands beyond those Pickering lands. In the past, as the future […]
