“We are contacted constantly by people wanting to know how they can help. Here’s something each of you can do. Write Transport Minister Marc Garneau and tell him you don’t want an airport. Tell him democracy has been flouted in Durham Region. Tell him the mayor of Pickering lied when he said the people have “had their say”. Tell him you’re not a willing host. Tell him you want to protect farmland and provide opportunities for young farmers. Tell him you’re afraid of climate crisis and fearful of the future your children face. Tell him you want to protect source water and indigenous sites. Tell him we need to protect habitat for species at risk. Tell him you love hiking in our new national park and you don’t want planes 400 feet above your head – and neither do the animals. Tell him you want jobs – sustainable jobs – for your children now, not another generation down the road. Tell him there’s no business case, that money should be spent on existing airport infrastructure or new ground transportation like high-speed rail. If your family was expropriated, tell him that, damn it, the government of Canada owes you an apology for half a century of waste.
Whatever makes you care, whatever your reason is, however much you write – one line or five pages – it doesn’t matter, as long as you make the point that you do not want an airport in North Pickering. And remember, you don’t have to live in Pickering to say this. These are Federal Lands, they belong to all of us. And we all have the responsibility to fight for sustainability, for food and water security, and a decision that will combat the climate crisis, not add to it.
Write to Minister Garneau and copy in your MP, your federal candidates, your municipal representatives, the media, us, anybody you want. Do it today!”
—Mary Delaney, Chair’s Annual Report, Land Over Landings AGM, June 2, 2019
Need a helping hand? Use this sample letter as a guide or send it as it is. We encourage you to add your own words, thoughts, opinions, facts so that your letter will be treated individually and not as part of a campaign.
Dianne Saxe, our guest speaker at our June 2 event, has provided her very compelling slides from her presentation. Find them here: https://landoverlandings.com/resources/slides-from-dr-dianne-saxe-agm-presentation/
A few more ideas of what to say can be found in these FACT FLYERS:
