Volunteers communicating the need for Pickering Airport
Before the last federal election, members of the former Liberal cabinet unexpectedly announced plans to cancel Pickering Airport. This move went against studies sponsored by Transport Canada and came amid growing calls for new aviation infrastructure to foster economic growth. If not in Pickering—on land already zoned for an airport—where will the necessary aviation facilities […]
It is hard to find the words to describe the misery of Canada’s housing crisis in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). For a decade demand has outstripped supply causing prices to soar. For most, buying a home is now an unattainable dream. Many are struggling to make enough to afford rent. Manufacturing and service businesses […]
By Ted Nickerson A flight arrives at Pickering Airport from Winnipeg. The passengers deplane, collect their baggage, and face the final challenge of modern air travel, getting from the airport to their destination. Most will proceed either to their private car in the parking lot, a car rental location, the onsite bus stop, to the […]
By Mark Brooks The recent announcement of Cadillac Fairview’s (CF) purchase of a 100% stake in Toronto Buttonville Airport has important implications for the development of an aerotropolis in nearby Pickering. Buttonville airport, a busy GA (General Aviation) and utility airport, sits on a 169-acre property in the City of Markham. Considered a prime site […]
A new “luxury tax” on new small aircraft in the 2021 Canadian federal budget is not making a lot of sense. Why is a government that purports to want to reduce green house gas emissions and create a new low carbon economy taxing rather than incenting the purchase of new more carbon efficient and net […]
By Mark Brooks A proposed tax on new small aircraft in the 2021 Canadian federal budget is a shocker. The new tax could not come at a worse time as GA (General Aviation) pilots, businesses and entrepreneurs look to recover from the pandemic and re-equip with new safer and more efficient greener aircraft. What is […]
By Mark Brooks Aviation’s first Golden Age is commonly accepted to have lasted for several decades beginning with Charles Lindbergh’s Atlantic flight in June, 1927. It was a period of record-breaking flights, air races, the first commercially-viable airliners and major advances in aviation technology. These advances changed the world with improved commercial links and […]
By Mark Brooks and Ted Nickerson On November 18, 2020, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) held a virtual event called “Transform Pickering: Big Moves in the GTA’s Frontier City”. Moderated by Emma Ward (Bousfield Inc), the session provided a forum for Dave Ryan, Mayor City of Pickering, assisted by Paula Bustard, Fiaz Jadoon, and Johan Van’t Hof, to present key strategic projects and the long-term vision that will fundamentally transform the City of Pickering. The City’s vision […]
The Oshawa Airport, located in the Greater Toronto Area, is very busy with residents complaining about the increasing noise from aircraft, despite new flight restrictions implemented by the Airport. Oshawa is part of Durham Region, one of the fastest growing areas in North America. This region and five of the local mayors, have a solution that […]
By Mark Brooks Traffic at Oshawa airport is now above pre-pandemic levels. The hangars at airports in the Toronto region are full, some with a waiting list of commercial and private aircraft. At Oshawa a flight school is being culled to reduce noise. Jobs and millions in economic activity are being lost due to the […]
