THE BACKGROUND IN BRIEF

In 1972, 18,600 acres of mostly farmland were expropriated northeast of Toronto for an international airport that was never built. Fierce opposition by the grassroots movement People or Planes succeeded in stopping the project in 1975, but the site remains in federal hands – just in case. Transport Canada has pursued a systematic policy of neglect and depopulation of the land for almost five decades now.

Land Over Landings, successor to People or Planes, was born in 2005 to oppose a new round of evictions and demolitions. We were – and remain – part protesters but mostly advocates. Our overriding aim is to ensure the preservation of this rich farmland for the benefit of future generations.

Persistence has paid off: In 2013 and 2015, over half the Federal Lands were transferred to Rouge National Urban Park. The natural areas will be protected and the farms will stay farms! Our focus now is on saving the last 9,000 acres, where the threat of an airport still lives on.

WHAT WE DO

• Talk to politicians (all parties, all levels of government) to inform, convince, and achieve our objective.
• Work closely with the media to keep the issue in the public eye.
• Engage the public through:
  • public information meetings
  • special events
  • demonstrations and workshops
  • our UPDATE newsletter, our website, Facebook, Twitter, and more