We know that you want answers to where your local candidates stand on the proposed Pickering Airport before you vote on October 21. With that in mind, we’ve polled candidates in the following ridings for their positions. We’ll be updating answers as we learn them. If they have not responded by October 18, midnight, we will note “DID NOT RESPOND” in their row.
We encourage you to reach out to your candidates directly with any questions or concerns about their answers.
QUESTION: Are you in favour of an airport or aerotropolis on the North Pickering Federal Lands?
PICKERING-UXBRIDGE
Candidate | Party | Response | Rationale or Public Statement | |||
CHISU, Corneliu | PPC | YES | “We need the jobs for Durham Region and we need the airport to bring the jobs. I stand firmly for an airport” https://bit.ly/2Olbuiu | |||
FORINT, Peter | GP | NO | “An airport is a 20th century solution. We need a 21st century solution to the problem. We don’t support the airport” https://bit.ly/2Olbuiu | |||
HIGDON, Eileen | NDP | NO | “I’m not in support of the airport. I have support for Land Over Landings.” https://bit.ly/2Olbuiu | |||
MUSARAT, Cyma | CPC | YES | “I think Pickering would benefit, the whole region will benefit bringing an airport here. I fully support it” https://bit.ly/2Olbuiu | |||
O’CONNELL, Jennifer | LPC | NO | It’s our party’s position and it’s my position that there’s no business case that exists for the development of the Pickering airport.” https://bit.ly/2Olbuiu |
AJAX
Candidate | Party | Response | Rationale or Public Statement | |||
ALI Intab | IND | no contact info | ||||
HADLEY, Allen Keith | IND | no contact info | ||||
RUSSO, Susanna | PPC | YES | “Absolutely build the airport to create jobs and increase tax revenue” https://bit.ly/2Olbuiu | |||
KNIGHT, Maia | GP | NO | ||||
MALIK, Shokat | NDP | YES | “It’s a wonderful idea to have that airport here. It’s an opportunity to create more and more jobs,” https://bit.ly/2Olbuiu | |||
DINGWALL, Tom | CPC | YES | “If an airport would bring jobs, he said he would support it.” https://bit.ly/2Olbuiu | |||
HOLLAND, Mark | LPC | NO | “I see no business case for an airport. We need to exhaust other options (Pearson, Hamilton, Billy Bishop, rail, etc).” |
MARKHAM-STOUFFVILLE
Candidate | Party | Response | Rationale or Public Statement | |||
PHILPOTT, Jane | IND | NO | “I will fight to ensure those Lands are protected.” Please visit Jane’s blog post for a full response: www.janephilpott.ca/transportation” | |||
LIN, Jeremy | PPC | NO | “I am opposed to the airport.”/”Increase traffic and increase density, making it a less nicer place to live. They will eliminate green space and farmland. Noise pollution from air traffic. Jobs may be created but cost of living will probably increase, nullifying any benefits in my opinion” | |||
LONG, Roy | GP | NO | “There should be no airport in Pickering. Let me plain and straight.” https://www.facebook.com/markhamlibrary/videos/565586494181498/ (Time marker 1:22)
“We already have Pearson, Billy Bishop and Hamilton International airports within the GTA, two of which have significant room to grow. In this time of climate threat, our focus must be on reducing reliance on fossil fuel air transportation and building up zero-emission rail and other public transportation infrastructure. An airport brings with it intensified development, industry, warehouses, and major roadways for heavy transport. All this would mean the decimation of more of the regions’s rapidly diminishing prime agricultural lands. Situated on the doorstep of the Rouge National Urban Park, the North Pickering Federal Lands Lands constitute a critical part of our green belt and wetlands. I will work hard to ensure they remain so.” |
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BERMAN, Hal | NDP | NO | “I’m not sure that the NDP has a specific policy on the Pickering Airport.” https://www.facebook.com/markhamlibrary/videos/565586494181498/ (Time marker 1:22)
“When the Conservatives announced this, they didn’t do their homework. They ignored key community concerns, and they are undermining the health and protection of Canada’s first national urban park. They did not outline what kind of economic development would be acceptable beside such a sensitive environmental area and failed to do the hard work of consulting local communities about what residents want for the land. New Democrats will work with the local community and consult all stakeholders in order to try and build consensus on the use of these lands.” |
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ANTONY, Theodore | CPC | ? | “I like planes.”/”We have to grow. We have to change.” / “More consultation.” https://www.facebook.com/markhamlibrary/videos/565586494181498/ (Time marker 1:22) | |||
JACZEK, Helena | LPC | NO | “I am totally opposed to the airport.”/ “Not sure why this issue has been resurrected.” https://www.facebook.com/markhamlibrary/videos/565586494181498/ (Time marker 1:22) |
WHITBY
Candidate | Party | Response | Rationale or Public Statement | |||
PEJIC, Mirko | PPC | Did Not Respond | ||||
SLAVCHENKO, Paul | GP | NO | “More air traffic is bad for the global environment, and it is bad for our local environment. The business case is shaky, otherwise the airport would have been built years ago.” | |||
DIAS, Brian | NDP | NO | “When the Conservatives announced this, they didn’t do their homework. They ignored key community concerns, and they are undermining the health and protection of Canada’s first national urban park. They did not outline what kind of economic development would be acceptable beside such a sensitive environmental area and failed to do the hard work of consulting local communities about what residents want for the land. New Democrats will work with the local community and consult all stakeholders in order to try and build consensus on the use of these lands.” | |||
MCCARTHY, Todd | CPC | Did Not Respond | ||||
TURNBULL, Ryan | LPC | NO |
OSHAWA
Candidate | Party | Response | Rationale or Public Statement | |||
TOMLINSON, Jeff | COMM | NO | See full statement here: https://landoverlandings.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-09-at-5.21.31-PM.png | |||
MACKENZIE, Eric | PPC | Did Not Respond | ||||
RAMSDEN, Jovannah | GP | Did Not Respond | ||||
PANYLO, Shailene | NDP | Did Not Respond | ||||
CARRIE, Colin | CPC | Did Not Respond | ||||
HOSSAIN, Afroza | LPC | Did Not Respond |
DURHAM
Candidate | Party | Response | Rationale or Public Statement | |||
VIRTUE, Brenda | PPC | NO | “Our commitment is to balance the budget within the first two years in the government. Therefore, we have no intention in increasing government spending, including for projects like this one.” | |||
PRICE, Evan | GP | Did Not Respond | ||||
WHALEN-WRIGHT, Sarah | NDP | NO | “The NDP is aware that there are studies currently being conducted by KPMG regarding building an airport in Pickering. We are in favour of consultation and fully understanding an issue before acting. At this point, I am not in favour of an airport in Pickering. The NDP’s priorities are focused on protecting green spaces, increasing public transit, promoting green technologies and zero-emissions transportation.” | |||
O’TOOLE, Erin | CPC | Did Not Respond | ||||
GIANCROCE, Jonathan | LPC | NO | See full statement here: https://landoverlandings.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-15-at-2.57.22-PM.png |
Thank you to all of the candidates who took the time to respond!