The Local Story, 2012-2013
Number of Articles: 36
Put farmland first to preserve Ontario’s productivity
Publication Date: December 16, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Ontario Federation of Agriculture director Mark Reusser issues a strong statement calling for Ontario farmland preservation.”If the supply of available, productive agricultural land continues to dwindle, everyone will suffer.”Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Does Canada’s tech future ride on rails?
Publication Date: December 13, 2013
Tags: Environment
Waterloo Region’s answer to GTA gridlock is improved rail service to downtown Toronto.Huffington Post
Billy Bishop: Study says “no airport is healthiest option”
Publication Date: December 9, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports, Environment
Toronto Board of Health releases its study of the health impact of Billy Bishop airport.National Post
Don’t rush into Porter expansion plan
Publication Date: December 2, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Waterfront Toronto’s CEO worries that a jet-serviced Billy Bishop Airport will dominate Toronto’s $1B+ revitalized waterfront so that “people won’t come here anymore.”Toronto Star
Porter plans stall
Publication Date: November 28, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Citing insufficient information, City of Toronto staff recommends that Council delay until 2015 any decision on Porter’s plan to fly Bombardier's C-series jet out of Billy Bishop airport.Globe and Mail
Case of the disappearing farmland
Publication Date: November 23, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
An in-depth essay about rising concerns over the continued loss of farmland at the urban fringe.Guelph Mercury
Commuting headaches
Publication Date: November 18, 2013
Tags: Environment
Citing an additional 1.5 million cars on the roads by 2031, resident thinks commuting within the GTA is unsustainable unless there’s a significant funding increase for public mass transit projects.Pickering News Advertiser
Airport noise is the sound of jobs
Publication Date: November 16, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports, Environment
(editorial) Writer says the sound of planes taking off and landing is part of the symphony of human activity and a sign of economic prosperity, so don’t bemoan the loss of peace and quiet. Waterloo Record
New noise issue for Waterloo airport
Publication Date: November 15, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports, Environment
Waterloo airport aeronautical noise committee kills proposal to alter main airport flight path.Waterloo Record
Ontario, stop unchecked urban sprawl
Publication Date: November 11, 2013
Tags: Environment, Food/Water/Agriculture
(editorial) Ontario must change policies to prevent urban sprawl on farmland: Neptis Foundation study finds current policies are failing in most areas of the GTA.Toronto Star
Judge nixes Hamilton aerotropolis appeal
Publication Date: November 8, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports, Food/Water/Agriculture
Judge rules against citizen’s group fighting Hamilton’s plan to annex 1,800 hectares of mostly farmland adjacent to the Hamilton airport, including 555 hectares for employment land.
Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton Spectator
Food and beverage industry driving Ontario economy
Publication Date: October 28, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Food processing sector provides a detailed plan for future growth in Ontario.CNW
The fight to protect prime farmland continues
Publication Date: October 24, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
The David Suzuki Foundation supports the fight to preserve prime farmland.
David Suzuki Foundation
Grand opening of Centre for Food
Publication Date: October 24, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Chef Jamie Kennedy opens the College’s new $18M field-to-fork teaching facility.Whitby This Week
Grounding $1.9B claim by Billy Bishop airport
Publication Date: October 17, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Writer finds that Billy Bishop airport’s claimed contribution to Toronto’s economy is exaggerated by at least $1.2 billion.rabble.ca blog
Demand grows for exotic veggies
Publication Date: October 11, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Immigration is fuelling demand for locally grown world crops, with a value estimated at $61 million a month in the GTA aloneCBC Toronto
Driving growth for Ontario’s agri-food industry
Publication Date: October 7, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne supports a strong and innovative agri-food industry and challenges Ontario agriculture to double its growth rate, increase jobs.Ontario Premier's Office website
How Steeltown became booming agrifood hub
Publication Date: October 2, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
With its steel industry in decline, Hamilton is transforming its economy into an agribusiness hub. Agriculture is the new steel for Hamilton.Globe and Mail
What Billy Bishop expansion would mean
Publication Date: September 29, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
(letter to the editor) Writer argues that approval of the expansion proposal at Billy Bishop Airport will lead to a large international airport on Toronto Island.Toronto Star
Ontario farmers experiment with “world crops”
Publication Date: September 23, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Ontario farmers are starting to grow “ethnocultural” foods. Approximately three-quarters of these foods are imported today, but could be grown in Ontario.Toronto Star
No Metrobus/taxi competition wants for airport runs
Publication Date: September 22, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Waterloo regional councillor wants a better airport business plan. Waterloo is paying $6M a year to subsidize its airport.Waterloo Record
Bombardier’s C-series reaches milestone
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Initial flight test of the largest passenger jet ever designed and assembled in Canada. Last spring, Porter Airlines announced their intention to buy these jets to serve Billy Bishop Airport, if their application to lengthen the runways at Billy Bishop is approved.Globe and Mail
Peterborough: Longer runway incurs more costs
Publication Date: September 4, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Another airport planning goof. Peterborough airport spends millions to lengthen runway, then finds extension is unusable. Peterborough City Council forced to buy adjacent farm to remove tall trees.Peterborough Examiner
ORNGE won’t use Oshawa as base
Publication Date: August 10, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Despite Mr Flaherty’s backing, Ontario’s medical emergency air service has abandoned its plan for an Oshawa base, preferring to stay at Billy Bishop airport.Oshawa This Week
Hamilton aerotropolis foes appeal OMB decision
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports, Food/Water/Agriculture
Opponents of OMB’s decision to allow use of 555 hectares (1,370 acres) of farmland, adjacent to the Hamilton Airport, for economic development are appealing the decision to the Divisional Court. They argue that city planners prefer to pave farmland rather than revitalize existing industrial property within HamiltonHamilton Spectator
Pearson loses $1.3M in Q2
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Pearson airport reports lower revenues and higher costs, resulting in an operating loss in the second quarter of 2103.CBC News
Vancouver airport Canada’s top performer
Publication Date: July 29, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Air Transport Research Society’s 2013 “Global Airport Benchmarking Report,” surveying 195 airports worldwide, finds that GTAA-operated Toronto Pearson airport has the highest per-passenger charges and is among the least economically efficient airports in North America.Vancouver Sun
Mega-quarry out, farm fund takes over
Publication Date: July 18, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
President of Bonnefield says that they look forward to working with local farmers on a long-term basis and ensuring that the 6,500 acres of Class 1 farmland is preserved and enhanced for farming use.Financial Post
Canadian farmers prove size doesn’t matter
Publication Date: July 17, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Farmers who employ good management and business skills have bright futures in a world where demand for food is growing.Globe and Mail
Toronto Island Airport and Jets
Publication Date: July 17, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
(position statement) Transport Action Ontario (formerly Transport 2000) summarizes why Porter Airline’s proposal for jet service at Billy Bishop airport is a bad idea.Transport Action Ontario
United front for farmland preservation
Publication Date: July 1, 2013
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) emphasizes the importance of agriculture to Ontario’s economy. The agri-food industry is now recognized as the number one economic driver in the province.Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Leaders speak out against Burlington airport expansion
Publication Date: June 28, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Regional chair Carr says expansion “economic benefits are not there,” and Oakville mayor says that expansion “will strike at the heart of the most important economic development asset our community has, which is our livability.”insidehalton.com
Off-Shore Gaming’s vision for Pickering
Publication Date: June 7, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
[article no longer accessible] The City of Pickering “could come out smelling like a rose” with huge casino resort built on a nuclear waste site along with that shiny new airport, says the Off-Shore Gaming Association. OSGA
Oshawa preparing to replace Buttonville
Publication Date: February 1, 2013
Tags: Aviation/Airports
Oshawa Municipal Airport is rapidly growing, and will soon benefit from Buttonville airport’s coming closure and the new Hwy 407 extension. COPA
Agriculture changing as Durham Region continues to grow
Publication Date: October 3, 2012
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Farmers feel pressure of urban sprawl as cities try to balance need for farmland with urban sprawl, green space protection, and a growing disconnect between city dwellers and the source of the food they eat. Cited within the article are recent statistics on agricultural economics from Ontario Farmland TrustOntario Farmland Trust
Hwy7 farmland zoned for “employment lands”
Publication Date: January 12, 2012
Tags: Food/Water/Agriculture
Traffic issues in rural hamlets and the loss of valuable farmland in Pickering dominate discussion around a proposal for Seaton’s employment lands.
Pickering News Advertiser