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 remained in federal hands. During the decades that followed, Transport Canada pursued a systematic policy of neglect and depopulation of the lands, which were always considered the site of a “potential future” airport.

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

Our persistence paid off: In 2015 and 2017, over half the Federal Lands were transferred to Rouge National Urban Park. The natural areas will be protected and the farms will stay farms! And on January 27, 2025, the federal government finally announced the cancellation of the airport project. Our focus now is on saving the last 9,000 acres, where the threat of urban development 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, X (Twitter), and more