The federal government will begin work on a new airport on what is known as the Pickering Land, an 18,000 acre property assembled 40 years ago for just this purpose. Local opposition in the 70s caused the then Liberal government to back down on the plan. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the airport will be much smaller than airports of the 1960s. Smaller aircraft and more efficient construction will permit the use of merely a quarter of the land for the actual airport. “There will be land for an airport, there will be urban and industrial development and there will be considerable green space on these lands.” the minister said. The federal move was criticized by the Liberals at Queen’s Park who said they have been blind-sided by the the scheme. Flaherty called this was “not true” and in a sharp response said the Liberals should find out what’s happening in their own government. It’s estimated the completion of the airport will take 15 years.
