Crash Landing: Citizens, The State and Protest Against Federal Airport Development, 1968- 1976 ii Crash Landing: Citizens, The State and Protest Against Federal Airport Development, 1968- 1976 By Michael Rowan, B.A., M.A. Supervisor: Dr. Ken Cruikshank Committee Members: Dr. Richard Harris, Dr. John Weaver, Dr. Penny Bryden A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright by Michael Rowan, January 2019. iii McMaster University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2018) Hamilton, Ontario (History) TITLE: Crash Landing: Citizens, The State and Protest Against Federal Airport Development, 1968-1976 AUTHOR: Michael Rowan, B.A. (York University), M.A. (York University) PROFESSOR: Ken Cruikshank NUMBER OF PAGES 206 iv Abstract During the 1960s both the federal and provincial governments continued to take on new and larger responsibilities. During this same time period citizens began to mobilize and challenge the state on a number of social issues including race, gender, labour, urban sprawl and the environment. Citizens believed that not only did they have the right to challenge the authority of government in planning public policy, but they also had a right to participate in the decision- making process as much as any bureaucrat, expert, or elected official. In planning airports in Pickering, Ste. Scholastique and Sea Island, the federal government was opposed by citizen groups in each of these three cases. Citizens believed their voices were not being heard and that government officials did not respect them. As a result, they disrupted the meticulously laid out plans of elected officials and policy planners by drawing on evidence and expert advice. The conflict over federal airport development is an example of the evolution of the consultation process with citizens, as citizens challenged the way public policy was planned. Governments now had to justify policies like expropriation for the public good since citizen groups would form over any intrusion into their private lives. The debates over airport planning highlights the role of citizens, bureaucrats, provincial and federal politicians as they all tried to navigate the complex shifting landscape of the Canadian state. By 1976 the Pickering Airport had been canceled, Mirabel was opened, and the Sea Island runway expansion would be delayed for 15 years. Although the citizen groups never had complete victories, citizen participation became more paramount to state planning after these events. Public policy planning in Canada had become far more inclusive than ever before. Whether the politicians, bureaucrats or citizens were aware of the consequences remain to be seen. v Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Ken Cruikshank, who despite being appointed Dean the month before I began the doctoral program at McMaster, consistently supported me through the trials of writing this thesis and provided much intellectual encouragement. I hope the final product meets your satisfaction. Furthermore, I thank my committee members Dr. Richard Harris, Dr. John Weaver and my external examiner Dr. Penny Bryden for pushing me forward and challenging me to explore different ideas and approaches. In addition, I’d like to thank Dr. Marcel Martel who gave me a job as his research assistant before I began my PhD. Not only did it allow me to save money towards my doctorate, but it will probably be one of the best jobs I’ll ever have in my life. Thank you, Marcel, for always believing in me. York University is lucky to have you. I’d like to thank Dr. Marcel Martel, Dr. Jennifer Stephen and Dr. Sean Kheraj for helping me shape this project during my time at York University. My research assistant Nam Van helped me out when times were rough. Austin Bach, David Ou and Marie-Claire Roussel were great translators and made this experience a lot easier. Special thanks to Dr. John Fleming who provided me with some excellent translation services at the last minute. The family of Dr. Catherine Brookman let me stay at their cottage for some very productive writing sessions and I am very thankful. The family of Martin Lach let me stay with them for a month while I pursued my research in Ottawa. Nothing beats having a home cooked meal and someone to talk to after a long day at the archives. I cannot express how grateful I am for your hospitality. I’d also like to thank Eric Gagnon Poulin for helping me get in touch with one of my interviewees. Fernand Gauthier interpreted one of the key interviews of this project and helped me make the most of my research trip in Québec. Councillor Harold Steves, Rita Lafond, Fernand Gauthier and Eunice Robinson let me look at their own private collections of files which were very helpful. In addition, Dr. Charles Godfrey donated to me hundreds of records from People or Planes. I am grateful that I got a chance to look through them. Thank you to everyone who gave an interview for this project. I hope your voices came out clearly. Researchers are nothing without the archivists who help them along the way and I’d like to thank every one of them who supported my research. I’d like to especially thank Joan Duchesne of Mille-Iles, who despite a language barrier between us, did everything to make my stay there comfortable. Not everyone would extend operating hours of a local archive during construction. In addition, I thank all my fellow graduate students in the Department of History, faculty, and staff who supported this project. I would like to thank all family and friends who supported me throughout this process. Special mention to Glenda and Joe Brookman for providing some quiet space when I needed it. I especially want to thank my parents, Michael and Zinnia Rowan, who supported me throughout this endeavor. Not many parents today would fully support their child going into Canadian history. Your support greatly contributed to the completion of this project. I would also thank my brother Chris Rowan, who kept me grounded throughout this long process. This project could not have been completed without institutional support from McMaster University through a variety of research funds and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. vi Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………....1 Chapter 1: Deconstructing Canadian Airport Development………………………………..17 Part 1: Mirabel, Québec: “A Justifiable Mistake"………………………………………….41 Chapter 2: Où est l’aéroport?.................................................................................................41 Chapter 3: Pourquoi Mirabel?................................................................................................68 Part 2: Pickering, Ontario: “On Their Knees”………………………………………………96 Chapter 4: We Bin Robbed………………………………………………………………….96 Chapter 5: The Last Stand…………………………………………………………………..123 Part 3: Sea Island, British Columbia: “Taken Under Advisement”………………………...153 Chapter 6: Facts to Fit the Decision(s)……………………………………………………...153 Conclusion: Just Sign Here………………………………………………………………….194 Abbreviations and Figures…………………………………………………………………...207 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………209 1 Introduction In 1976 Transport Minister Otto Lang met with an audience of community members concerned about a proposal to expand Vancouver’s Sea Island airport. He patiently answered questions about noise, passenger volume and alternate sites. In a telling moment, the experienced Cabinet Minister tried to explain the role of the civil service. When one Community Forum member spoke of visible bias of a Ministry of Transport (MOT) bureaucrat, Lang replied that the MOT official was “persuaded by the figures and believes in them. That kind of fact should be appreciated.”1 In this exchange the minster disclosed how greatly the government relied on the public service, a principal element in the make-up of the state. This is one example of how consultation over federal airport developed in the 1970s, and how citizens questioned public policy. Fundamentally, we are talking about an evolution in the public policy process as government representatives not only had to engage with citizens but also had to include them. This thesis will examine conflict over federal airport development between the years 1968 and 1976. During this time period, the federal government engaged in a number of new airport construction projects including the Mirabel Airport north of Montréal, the Pickering Airport east of Toronto, and the Sea Island runway expansion near Vancouver. In all three cases, the federal government expropriated citizen’s private property for the development of national airports. Expropriation is one of the most powerful tools of the state and one of the most intrusive. Citizen groups emerged in all three cases to protest, fight for their property and challenge the economic case that the federal government made for each airport. This project will 1 Community Forum, “Interview with Otto Lang,” May 15th, 1976, Eunice Robinson’s Private Collection. 2 examine the relationship between the state and citizens against the backdrop of airport development. This project started as an examination of citizens protesting against the state during the 1970s by looking at the development of national airports. Airports are one of the most fundamental pieces of infrastructure that a state should maintain. They are vital to the national economy by moving citizens and goods around domestically and internationally. The average citizen may not question the need