Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade calls on Federal Government to keep Pickering airport study on schedule

The president of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade has issued a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Transport Minister John Baird, calling on the federal government to remain committed to the 2009 release of the Pickering Airport Lands Needs Assessment Study.

In the letter, it was pointed out that discussions surrounding the use of federally owned land have been plagued by unacceptable delays since 1972, when the federal government first expropriated 18,600 acres to establish the site for a potential airport.

“While we understand that this issue deserves thorough study and debate, we would find it difficult to believe that the related analysis could not be completed on time, particularly given the exhaustive research that has already been completed,” writes John G. Smith, president of the Board of Trade. “Each and every delay in a decision concerning the use of this land represents a significant economic loss to our community, whether an airport is built or not.”

The Needs Assessment Study, conducted by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and vetted by Transport Canada, was initiated to address vital issues such as the forecasted demand for air travel and the capacity of existing airports.

“As business leaders, we rely on long-term planning to establish the transportation infrastructure that will allow us to move goods and employees as effectively as possible. But we may also be running out of time to address congestion in the Greater Toronto Area. If an airport is not built in Pickering, we need to know about the alternatives that will address the transportation-related challenges that we face,” the Board of Trade notes in the document.

“For the sake of our economy, we ask you to demonstrate the leadership that will determine an ultimate use for the land that the federal government expropriated so many decades ago.”

To view the letter in its entirety, click on the link below.