Grounded for Good!

The federal government’s announcement on January 27, 2025, ended a half-century-long nightmare. It threw open an opportunity to right a terrible wrong by enabling a new and positive future for the Pickering Federal Lands. One public work – in 1972, an unneeded airport that never materialized – can now be succeeded by another public work that, this time, is truly needed: the permanent protection of the expropriated land as an essential agricultural resource for Canada’s most populous area.

After the announcement came the celebration on March 1. For all those who attended this joyful (if, for many, also bittersweet) event, and for those who were unable to be with us, we’ve provided links to some of the speeches, to many photos from the celebration, and to the slide show documenting 53 years of relentless grassroots protest. A walk down memory lane, for sure, but also a testament to the good that dedicated public protest can achieve.