Toronto 
Anita Anand, Minister of Transport, today announced that the federal government will not pursue plans to develop an airport on the Pickering Lands, a 75 km² (18,600-acre) site northeast of Toronto.
The government intends to transfer high-conservation-value portions of the land to Parks Canada, further expanding Rouge National Urban Park.
The Pickering Lands, spanning parts of Pickering, Markham, and Uxbridge, were acquired in 1972 for a second international airport to serve the Greater Toronto Area. However, airport development was halted in 1975 after the Ontario government refused to provide essential infrastructure. Since then, the federal government has leased the land to residential, commercial, and agricultural tenants.
The Pickering Airport project, long a point of contention, has faced local opposition since its inception. Proponents had warned that without additional airport capacity, Southern Ontario’s air travel demand could exceed supply by 20 million passengers by the 2040s.
This decision marks the end of decades of debate over the potential airport. Transport Canada has previously transferred 40.1 km² (9,900 acres) of the site to Parks Canada, with 19.1 km² (4,700 acres) transferred in 2015 and 21 km² (5,200 acres) in 2017. Approximately 35 km² (8,700 acres) had been retained for potential airport use.
Per the news release, a formal consultation process involving Indigenous communities, tenants, and the public will determine the land’s future.
