Stop A-OTHR on farmland
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to stop building Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR) sites on purchased Clearview Township farmland, halt future farmland acquisitions for A-OTHRs, and register the bought property with the Ontario Farmland Trust.
Why we would sign this petition
- Preserves prime farmland and wetlands by securing agricultural status and preventing development on sensitive ecosystems threatened by site construction.
- Stops conversion of productive local farmland, protecting agricultural livelihoods and local food-production potential.
- Requires a halt and review before further acquisitions, enabling public input and consideration of less intrusive alternatives.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Could impede Arctic surveillance if those specific sites are required for national defence, reducing operational options.
- Restricting suitable locations may force use of less effective or costlier alternatives and delay necessary deployment.
- Registering defence-owned property with a farmland trust could create legal or operational conflicts complicating urgent military needs.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada Whereas: -The Department of National Defense (DND) has purchased 288 hectares (700+ acres) of prime farmland, overlapping the Minesing Wetlands, to build a Preliminary Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A- OTHR) Receive Site in Clearview Township; and -DND has also sent mail to residents to potentially purchase another 2600+ acres (1050+ hectares) of prime farmland in Clearview Township to build 2 Permanent Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A- OTHR) Receive Sites. We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: Stop the building of any A-OTHR site on the already purchased property; Prevent future acquisition of prime farmland and the building of any A-OTHR sites on the prime farmland of Clearview Township; and Register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.
Government response
No government response is available yet.