Plans for NORAD ‘receive’ site draw ire
Emotions were running high as residents packed into Station on the Green Wednesday for an information session hosted by the Department of National Defence (DND).
More than 200 people attended an afternoon session with another 100- plus joining the meeting virtually. An evening session drew another near- capacity crowd to hear about plans for an Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR) system installation to be built in Clearview Township.
Last March, the DND purchased 288 hectares (roughly 711 acres) of land on the 15/16 Sideroad Sunnidale between the 6th and 7th concessions. In June, it was announced that the site would be developed as a preliminary ‘receive’ site as part of a $38-billion plan to upgrade North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) early warning capabilities. A site in Kawartha Lakes near Coboconk will be developed as a permanent ‘transmit’ site.
“As a key component of Canada’s NORAD modernization plan, A-OTHR will provide advanced early warning and long-range surveillance, enabling faster Canadian Armed Forces detection and tracking of a wide range of threats in our northern air and maritime approaches, while strengthening NORAD domain awareness in the defence of Canada and North America,” according to the Government of Canada. “A-OTHR can conduct surveillance at far greater ranges than regular radar technology as it bounces radar beams off the ionosphere to see around the curvature of the Earth.”
Mayor Doug Measures told the meeting that agriculture is the Number 1 economic activity in Clearview Township, and it also plays a vital part of our culture and heritage.
“As your council we work hard to protect farmland from development but when the government of Canada steps in, this is beyond our control,” said Measures. “As much as we are concerned about the impact on our community, we are also Canadians, and we have a responsibility to step up.”
A spokesman from DND described the Clearview site as preliminary. It is roughly half the ideal size for a receive site so the search will continue for two sites of roughly 535 hectares each. Since the acquisition of the initial parcel, the DND has been surveying area landowners to determine their interest in selling, leading speaker after speaker to inquire whether their land will eventually be targeted for expropriation.
Simcoe Grey MP Terry Dowdall says his office has been inundated with inquiries about the A-OTHR project since the announcement.
“The federal government has purchased this land, and they can do what they want,” said Dowdall. “If none of the other owners want to sell, will Stage 1 stand on its own or will they move to take more land?”
He encouraged those with concerns to write to Minister of National Defence David McGuinty.
A DND spokesman responded that the size of the Clearview installation will give Canada some enhanced early warning capability and that the search will continue for suitable locations and willing sellers.
A series of studies is now underway at the site including an archaeological overview, storm water management and soil studies and other environmental assessments. Assuming test results are satisfactory, work on site clearing and levelling will begin this winter, with the site operational by the end of 2029. Ultimately, the installation will include a few thousand six-metre stick antennas and a few ancillary buildings.
The Clearview site abuts the environmentally sensitive Minesing Wetlands prompting concerns about environmental impact. Other speakers expressed concerns about the impact of radio frequency radiation on human and animal health. Still others worried that having this site located in Clearview might make us a target in the event of hostilities.
Councillor Rob McArthur provided an agricultural perspective.
“According to my calculations, the two receive sites plus buffer zones will add up to roughly 4,000 acres,” he said. “If those 4,000 acres were planted in wheat, each acre would provide one loaf of bread per week to feed 60-100 people for a year. If the 4,000 acres were planted in corn, they would produce 5,360,000 40-ouncers.”
Bonnie MacPherson photo: Simcoe-Grey MP Terry Dowdall speaks at a DND info session Wednesday.
