Food & Water FirstNEWS
Congrats to Land Over Landings!
A large swath of farmland and forests is safe, thanks to Land Over Landings and other like-minded groups in the Pickering area. Our Partners at LOL have worked tirelessly to try to protect more than 14,000-acres of expropriated farmland and forests from being paved over for an unnecessary Pickering airport and other development. On July 11th, the federal government announced that 5,200-acres of the land will be added to the Rouge National Urban Park. 5,000-acres down, another 9,000 to go! The Toronto Star covered the happy news in this report: Expansion of Rouge National Urban Park
In the days following the announcement, the federal Transport Minister, Lisa Raitt, met with those opposed to and supportive of a proposed airport. The late Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced two years ago that there would definitely be an airport on the Pickering Lands. It now seems the federal government may be open to other ideas. Land Over Landings and similar groups are pushing for the vast tract of Class 1 agricultural land to be preserved for food production. What’s next for the remaining Pickering Lands? Well done, Land Over Landings!
