Pickering voice needed on airport board: council
May 19, 2010
By Kristen Calis

PICKERING -- Durham's member on the Greater Toronto Airports Authority's board of directors should be a Pickering resident, council has agreed.

At the May 17 meeting, Pickering council sent a request to Durham Region council to amend the current process for the appointment to the GTAA board in order to ensure that person is specifically from Pickering.

Durham council appoints a new member of the Durham public to the board at the beginning of every council term. The federal government owns the 18,000-plus acres of land in north Pickering that have been designated for a possible
airport. Therefore, the issue is of greater importance to Pickering and its residents than the rest of Durham, the motion said.

The motion pointed out the minutes of all GTAA board meetings are not made public, which leads to lack of accountability and accessibility of information for Pickering and Durham residents.

"I think you have to show some transparency to the people you represent," said Ward 3 Regional Councillor Rick Johnson.

He also pointed out Pickering is turning 200 years old in 2011 and the Region of Durham was only formed in 1974. But whether the Region agrees to Pickering's request is "another battle for another day," he said.

Coun. Johnson introduced the motion along with Ward 1 City Councillor Jennifer O'Connell. Ward 3 City Councillor David Pickles said the City should ideally have some input on an appointment. But he was also skeptical of the Region's support.

"I don't think it's going to happen anyway but I'll support it and hopefully we'll have some luck at the Region," he said.