QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Transport
Ontario Aerodrome
October 27, 2022
Minister, residents of Georgina, Ontario have raised concerns with your department about a proposed aerodrome in their communities, sometimes referred to as the Baldwin East Aerodrome. They are concerned about the legitimacy of the proposal and the likelihood it is an elaborate scheme to get around provincial laws to dump fill, a practice that is very lucrative and has taken place at aerodromes elsewhere in the region.
Given the area’s proximity to developments in the GTA, the public feedback period closed in March, yet residents have still not been given any update from Transport Canada. Minister, can you confirm whether you have approved the Georgina aerodrome proposal, and if so, could you give the reasons for the decision that has been made?
Senator, thank you for that question. I have been following up on that matter. My colleague in the House of Commons has raised it with me. There is a process. Transport Canada is responsible for safety regulation of aerodromes and airports. There are obviously other types of permits that are outside Transport Canada’s jurisdiction, whether it’s environmental or building permits, but when it comes to safety, Transport Canada is going through the process, as you can imagine. The minister him or herself needs to wait for officials — independent, non-partisan officials — to do the assessment and submit a recommendation to the minister, which I have not yet seen.
