Volunteers communicating the need for Pickering Airport
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 […]
By Mark Brooks Passenger aviation is now in the early stages of restarting from its COVID-19-induced shutdown. As the pandemic continues to turn the world upside down, airports and airlines are grappling with the new normal. How can they safely provide critical transportation services, moving both people and goods, to keep the economy going? How […]
The Study commissioned by Transport Canada, Pickering Lands Aviation Sector Analysis, concludes that through “modest expansions in aircraft apron and air terminal facilities”, Pickering Airport’s passenger capacity is not needed before 2036. The Study uses the phrase “modest expansions” to describe billions of dollars of additional aviation facilities that are stunning in both scope and cost. All […]
On March 5, 2020, Transport Canada released the Pickering Lands Aviation Sector Analysis (the Study). It was much awaited, and hopefully will be the definitive study on the need for and timing of a new commercial airport in Pickering, Ontario. Its message is simply, “The question is now when, not if, a new airport should be built”. […]
Right now the Canadian economy is crashing under the fear and anxiety created by a global pandemic. Under today’s conditions, communal vehicles – buses, trains and planes – are breeding grounds for the virus. Until today, the number one method of communal travel between provinces and internationally was air travel. Post-event, how will the pandemic change […]
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 […]
In 2016 a team from the international accounting organization KPMG (consisting of a project manager, three subject matter experts, and an evaluation services consultant) started work on a report that will chart the future of growth and economic prosperity in the eastern Toronto region. The KPMG report is expected to be more than just an update […]
If consumer demand and a privately-funded business case where the only deciding factors, Pickering Airport would be under construction right now. So what’s the hold-up? National politics and the symbolism around building a new airport, while fighting climate change, may be the key reason an RFP (request for proposal) has not yet been issued by […]
