Expand The Rouge National Urban Park Now!

The Pickering Federal Lands consist of almost 9,300 acres of Canada's best farmland, forests, wetlands, and trails. Right now, the future of this land is being decided by the Federal government. Without formal protection and integration into the Rouge National Urban Park, these irreplaceable lands are at risk of being paved over and lost to development forever.

The Pickering Federal Lands were assembled by the federal government in the early 1970s through expropriation for a proposed international airport that was never built. Through this process, thousands of acres of farmland, natural areas, and rural communities were brought into public ownership with the understanding that they would be used in the public interest. The expropriation had significant impacts on families and communities, and that history remains an important part of this story.

More than 50 years later, these lands remain a unique and irreplaceable public asset. Given their ecological significance, their role in the Rouge and Duffins watersheds, and the presence of some of Canada's most productive Class 1 farmland, there is a strong responsibility to ensure they continue to serve a clear and lasting public good. Protecting all of these irreplaceable lands by integrating them into an expanded Rouge National Urban Park would honour this rich history — preserving the lands for conservation, sustainable agriculture, and community benefit for generations to come.

Many long-standing advocacy groups, environmental groups and local community members strongly support protecting these irreplaceable lands for agriculture, conservation, and recreational purposes within the Rouge National Urban Park.

Yes, but there's more worth protecting! The original 1987 Park Proposal envisioned the Pickering Federal Lands as part of the Rouge National Urban Park, but it's taken over 40 years for the Federal Government to decide their fate. After 40 years of delay, we need to protect these nationally significant lands now.

To date, Canada has safeguarded 20,000 acres of land by creating the Rouge National Urban Park. The remaining Pickering Lands represent 9,300 additional acres of farmland, forests, wetlands, and trails. These lands form an interconnected ecosystem spanning from the Oak Ridges Moraine to Lake Ontario. By integrating the remaining land into the Rouge National Urban Park, we can protect Canadian nature.

The Shared Vision for the Rouge National Urban Park, the New Rouge, proposes transferring approximately 9,300 acres of Pickering Federal Lands to Parks Canada to create North America's largest urban park, permanently protecting its Class 1 farmland and critical ecological corridors of national significance. We'll integrate heritage hamlets like Brougham and Altona into sustainable communities while establishing a hub for regenerative agriculture and research. By restoring the continuous connection between the Oak Ridges Moraine and Lake Ontario, the New Rouge secures a vital nature-based solution for climate resilience, wildlife conservation and migration, and regional food security.

The Waterfront Regeneration Trust, in partnership with Friends of Rouge National Urban Park and in collaboration with organizations including Land Over Landings, has released A Shared Vision for the Expansion of Rouge National Urban Park — a comprehensive plan for what we call the "New Rouge."

For more than four decades, our organizations have played a leading role in advancing the protection, restoration, and stewardship of the Rouge Valley and its surrounding lands. The Waterfront Regeneration Trust's roots trace back to the Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront, chaired by the Hon. David Crombie, which laid the groundwork for a new model of waterfront and watershed regeneration.

Working alongside long-time advocates such as the Hon. Pauline Browes, this collective effort helped secure lasting federal protection for the Rouge through the creation of a new class of protected area: Canada's first national urban park. Rouge National Urban Park stands today as a landmark conservation achievement, bringing agriculture, nature, and community together in one of the largest urban regions in North America.

The Pickering Federal Lands are central to this next chapter. These lands include significant natural heritage features, vital watershed connections, and some of Canada's rare Class 1 farmland. Including them within an expanded Rouge National Urban Park is essential to achieving a complete, connected, and resilient landscape — one that protects ecological integrity, supports sustainable agriculture, and ensures this nationally significant green space is preserved for future generations.

Many have been volunteering for over 50 years to protect these lands, and we need your help to finally protect them forever!

The Shared Vision is designed to be an economic driver. By growing a world-class nature destination, we can keep Canadian tourism dollars at home and attract global visitors. The park will create high-quality jobs in recreation, modern agriculture, and environmental conservation, proving that nature preservation is a job creator.

"A Future for the Lands" commissioned by Land Over Landings measured the impacts of Pickering Lands being in permanent agriculture with 30-year renewable leases combined with increased tourism. The combined economic impacts show the following:

Annual expenditures by the farm sector and by visitors to the Subject Lands increase from the present $3.7 million to $103.5 million; resulting economic activity within the York-Durham Region increases from $4.4 million to $130.4 million, and across Ontario from $7.0 million to $221.2 million; the number of jobs required to sustain the farm output increases from 32 in the region to 1,459, and from 55 to 2,051 across the province.

Farmers are essential stewards of this land. The Shared Vision for the New Rouge proposes mixed farming on this irreplaceable farmland. It creates a new generation of farmers. By protecting the irreplaceable soil from urban sprawl, the park ensures that farmers can continue to feed the region while integrating their work into a larger ecosystem of hospitality, education, and conservation.

Yes! One of the primary goals of the New Rouge is to connect millions of families to the great outdoors. The park is located just a short distance from Toronto, making it a highly accessible escape for urban residents looking to explore trails, rivers, and nature.

Securing all 9,300 acres is vital to restoring the only intact, contiguous ecological corridor between the Oak Ridges Moraine and Lake Ontario, which prevents habitat fragmentation and supports over 1,700 species. This full scale is necessary to ensure that Class 1 farmland and heritage hamlets can coexist as a unified, sustainable ecosystem rather than being lost to urban sprawl. By protecting the entire site, we can directly contribute to Canada's national goal of protecting 30% of its lands by 2030.

Pickering has a massive surplus of land for housing, commercial and industrial uses. Rouge National Urban Park will serve a region of 7 million people and growing.

Environmental Defence has determined that Durham Region has already set aside approximately 14,975 hectares (37,000 acres) of greenfield land to accommodate projected housing demand in the eastern Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Given this existing supply, incorporating the Pickering Airport Lands — particularly considering their location and limited access to current or future servicing — does not present a practical or strategic development option.

What this growing region does not have is a surplus of prime agricultural lands or protected natural space for nature-based recreation.

The most impactful thing you can do is contact your Member of Parliament (MP). By sending a letter through our website, you are joining a collective voice demanding that our leaders choose conservation over destruction and help build a lasting Canadian legacy.