CBC Misses the Big Story

What happens when a young reporter from the City meets a slick well-practiced “Rural” lobby group hunting for cheap leases on a Billion dollars of government land?  It’s a classic scene with all the right virtue signalling of farming, the environment, and food security. A warm fuzzy setup covering the warts of a Big Money ask. […]

$4 Billion in “Modest Expansions” Accounting

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 […]

Ending the “Build Pickering Last” Strategy

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”. […]

Pickering Airport in a Post-Pandemic Toronto

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 […]

O’Connell’s Baffling Misread Of The KPMG Report.

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 […]

Yes to Building Canada with Pickering Airport

Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, had a National Dream to create a nation from sea to sea by building a rail road.  Today the building of Canada continues, but in addition to railroads, airports now connect and move Canadians from coast to coast. As the Toronto region grows, so too must our […]

Rail Blockades Reinforce Need for Pickering Airport

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 […]

Canada’s Carbon Neutral Aviation Challenge

A big change is under way in the world of commercial aviation. As of January 1st, 2020, all international aviation growth is going carbon neutral. Domestic Canadian aviation will follow step. For Pickering Airport, a new international airport to be built just east of Toronto, it means that all of its flights can be carbon […]

Which Political Parties Support Building Pickering Airport?

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 […]