The city of Pickering plans to ask the federal government on Monday to “expedite planning and development” of the controversial Pickering airport, in what residents say is a “stunning” reversal of the city’s long-standing opposition to the decades old project.

Officials says the move is part of a review of the city’s official plan. That hasn’t been updated since a portion of the federally owned lands, intended for an airport in the east end of the GTA since the 1970s, were added into the Rouge National Urban Park last year.

Residents say the language in the motion not only asks for clarity, but shows that the city of Pickering, which has historically opposed the airport, is now asking for the project to move forward.

“Our concern is that if the motion gets through and gives the impression that Pickering is a willing host,” said Mary Delaney, the chair of Land over Landings, a citizens group opposed to the airport. “Not only would that not look good, but it’s patently untrue.”

While the city has never endorsed plans for an airport, the region of Durham has, Delaney said.

The staff report, to be discussed at the Planning and Development Committee meeting Monday evening, states “to ensure greater certainty and to remove speculation about the site’s future, staff recommends that council request the Federal Government to move forward with the planning and implementation of the airport.”

It goes on to say: “The location of an airport in the City of Pickering is a strategic element necessary to establish a more predictable long-term land use vision for the City. The proposed airport site, although smaller in size, will act as a catalyst for economic growth and job creation in the City.”

In the early 1970s, the government of Canada acquired 7,530 hectares of land in Markham, Pickering and Uxbridge to build a new airport through a controversial expropriation process that involved booting out thousands of residents. Since then, government officials at all levels have flip-flopped over the years regarding the airport.

In the past few years, the recent Conservative government transferred a large part of the lands to Parks Canada to be added to the Rouge Park. Around the same time, the government published notices in the Canada Gazette that it intended to “declare a smaller portion of the Pickering lands an airport site.”

That’s why the city is putting the motion forward said, Regional Councillor David Pickles, who represents ward 3, where the lands sit.

“I don’t think it’s fair for council or residents to say ‘are you for or against the airport,’ unless we have more information,” he said. “The planning department is simply saying, let’s get underway with these planning studies, so that the federal government can make a decision on the airport.”

The motion does not declare support for the project, but for the planning needed to even get to the decision-making stage, he said.

Liberal MP for Pickering-Uxbridge Jennifer O’Connell said there has been no pressure from Ottawa on the issue.

She said the federal government is only halfway through an aviation-sector study that may shed light on the demand and need for the airport in an around Southern Ontario. Another study, commissioned by the previous government, asked UOIT founder Gary Polonsky to look at possible options for the land including an airport; that study has yet to be made public.

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No one has done a real business case on the need and viability of an airport, O’Connell said.

“The government has made no decisions yet,” she said. “Any decision that will be made would have to consider a business case and the capacity and demand issue,” said O’Connell, who was previously on city council.

Delaney says residents are also surprised that the issue has come up so soon after the death of Pickering ward 3 councillor Rick Johnson, an airport opponent who passed away in October. She thinks his position should be filled before any decisions are made.

But Pickles says there’s nothing suspicious about the timing, and appointing a person into the new role won’t make much difference.

“This was an item that was regularly scheduled to come to the planning committee,” he said. “Nobody swooped in and said this councillor passed away, and let’s get it on the agenda.”

“It’s been over 40 years . . . and our planning staff is saying, get on with the studies so that we can get on with planning Pickering for many years to come. Right now, the airport is a big question mark.”

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