Citizen says local residents are worried about federal radar program
A Kawartha Lakes resident delivered a deputation to council raising concerns about the proposed Department of National Defence Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar Program, particularly its proximity to local residents.
Addressing council during the May 5 committee of the whole meeting, David Strickland urged that the 163-hectare property at Thistle Trail, west of County Road 41, not be sold to the DND.
Strickland cited three main concerns about using this land as a radar defence site: potential danger to families living in the area, the loss of rural sanctuary and what he described as residents being “left in the dark” about the project.
The Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar Program is a major defence initiative aimed at strengthening Canada’s ability to detect and monitor potential airborne threats at long distances. It forms part of a broader modernization of the North American Aerospace Defence Command, a joint Canada-U.S. system responsible for aerospace warning and control.
The Thistle Trail site is one of four locations being developed as part of the project and was selected due to its flat, dry landscape and proximity to electrical infrastructure.
Strickland said he and other residents, including 47 who signed a petition opposing the land sale, are concerned about safety risks if the site were ever targeted.
“We are talking about the ultimate price the people living next to this site would pay if it becomes a possible military target,” he told council. “Placing a military radar site in a known location is a focused target, and in any conflict or violent rupture, collateral damage is now a certainty.”
Strickland noted how one resident in the area, a mother with four young children, recently built a home near the site.
“(The government) is putting her family inside of a target zone,” he said.
Following Strickland’s address, council members asked no questions and unanimously voted to receive the deputation.
While it is natural to feel uneasy about new military infrastructure, we should view this radar project as a vital shield, not just a target. If the Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar works as intended, it provides the early warning necessary to detect and neutralize threats before they ever reach Canadian soil. Without this “eye in the sky,” we are all vulnerable; with it, we are providing security for the entire country, including Kawartha Lakes.
However, if our community is going to be a “willing host” for a project of such immense national importance, the federal government needs to step up as a partner. Kawartha Lakes is providing the ground to protect the nation, and in return, the feds should invest in our local future.
I would propose that the Feds should invest in the host community by closing the funding gap for the Summit Wellness Centre, the new Medical Center in Coboconk. The Feds could further invest in the Coboconk Fire and Emergency Services which need a new fire station, and could benefit from training investment, including training on how to respond to emergencies at the radar installation.
The key in Community Benefits is to positon them as dual-use, and improvement to the radar installation and its personel as well as a benefit to the community. It’s also critical to position it as annual recurring funding and not one-time grant money. All local services are starving for recurring funding.
Let’s turn this into a win-win: national security for Canada, and essential health and safety infrastructure for the people of Kawartha Lakes. It’s time to ask Ottawa for a community benefit agreement that reflects the value of the land and the cooperation Kawartha Lakes are providing with this over the horizon radar in our community.