Volunteers communicating the need for Pickering Airport
By Mark Brooks In response to a Freedom of Information request, we have received the list of leaseholders for the Pickering lands retained for economic development, including an airport. A big thank you and shout–out to Transport Canada for doing what they could on this politically–charged topic. Although heavily redacted, the response provides enough information […]
Written by Mark Brooks, Oct 5 2020. The Canadian economy is in recession, the planet is on fire, racial injustice has been laid bare and a global pandemic threatens to kill our most vulnerable citizens. As 2020 turns into a dumpster fire of a year overburdened with multiple crisis, or are they related, and which […]
Mark Brooks, Sept 17, 2020 In 2029, Pickering Airport will be open. What type of aircraft will call it home? To answer that question, we need to understand two of the forces driving the need for the new airport. One is the economic freedom behind the success of the municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area, the immigration it attracts and […]
by Mark Brooks A citizen, worried that the pandemic is being used as cover to reward insiders, writes a letter to his Liberal MP. The reply he received was laced with misinformation and should worry every Canadian. It highlights the lack of leadership and wishful thinking now delaying the development of new infrastructure in Canada. In […]
It reads like a B-movie script for a government scandal. A billion dollars in government land leased out to a select few, mostly unknown, insiders well below market rates. Brave local mayors and town councils harassed at every turn as they fight to get the attention of a distant uncaring federal government. The local citizen […]
The recent release of a report from consulting firm KPMG, regarding when to build Pickering Airport, has Canadian political observers holding their breath. The report lays out why the Greater Toronto Area needs a new airport, states where it will be built, presents a business plan and when to break ground. The plan for construction […]
By: Mark Brooks, Phil Lightstone. The long-awaited Pickering Lands Aviation Sector Analysis (the “KPMG report”) has recently been released and pro airport supporters are celebrating. The report goes beyond just reaffirming the need for a new airport in Pickering to support the Greater Toronto Area. It clarifies when and in what form the new airport should be developed. […]
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) is featuring an article from The Friends of Pickering Airport ( a sub group of COPA flight 44) in the April edition. Great timing as the just released KPMG report has recommended a path to building out Pickering Airport. The 491 page KPMG report is suggestion building an […]
This week Canadians have been reminded about the fragility of our transportation system. Firstly, protesters caused rail service, including VIA passenger trains, to be shut down across the country just by blocking a few key rail junctions. Secondly, fear of the new Coronavirus has heightened anxiety worldwide that overcrowded public spaces, such as Toronto Pearson […]
By Mark Brooks and Ted Nickerson It can safely be anticipated that the new Pickering Airport planned for Durham Region will have an economic impact far beyond its cost. The return for the $2.8 billion construction cost for phase 1 (including $600 million in public service and infrastructure investment) far outstrips the cost. Using comparable […]
