Block A‑OTHR on Clearview farmland
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to halt A‑OTHR construction on DND‑purchased Clearview farmland, bar further acquisitions or A‑OTHRs on Clearview prime farmland, and register the purchased land with Ontario Farmland Trust.
Why we would sign this petition
- Protects farmland and wetlands by stopping development on DND‑purchased land and preserving agricultural status, maintaining local food production and ecological values.
- Prevents further loss of prime Clearview farmland by blocking future acquisitions and construction, securing long‑term land use for agriculture.
- Registering the land with Ontario Farmland Trust creates a legal protection to restrict non‑agricultural conversion and support stewardship.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- May limit national defence planning: restricting use and acquisition could constrain the Department of National Defence's ability to site necessary radar infrastructure.
- If alternative sites are fewer or more remote, prohibiting Clearview use could increase project costs, technical difficulty, or create operational gaps.
- Legal or administrative obstacles to registering defence‑acquired land with a farmland trust may complicate or delay defence programs.
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.