National Defence Acquires 451 Hectares of Land in Ontario for New Radar Project

National Defence Minister David McGuinty (L) and Prime Minister Mark Carney talk with Captain Michael Rankin of 32 Signal Regiment, during a visit to a command post at Fort York Armoury in Toronto on June 9, 2025. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) has acquired 451 hectares of land in Ontario for its new Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR) project.

The project is part of the Canadian government’s bid to modernize its contribution to continental defence through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The first two sites for the project have been selected, including one transmit site and one receive site, the department announced on July 17.

DND acquired 163 hectares of vacant property in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., to be used as a permanent transmit site.

The department said it has also acquired 288 hectares of agricultural land in Clearview Township in central Ontario to use as a preliminary receive site that will deliver initial, functional capability “much sooner” than the full capacity. Initial work is expected to begin at the two sites in winter 2026.

The A-OTHR project is set to reach “initial operational capability” by the end of 2029, and will require four sites to be fully operational, including two transmit sites and two receive sites. Options for the remaining sites continue to be explored.

“DND will conduct several environmental and site studies, such as a climate change risk assessment, an environmental site assessment and a flora and fauna assessment before beginning work as per its regular standard procedure,” the department said.

The public will be able to engage in virtual and in-person information sessions, as well as town hall meetings to learn more about the sites, the A-OTHR project, and to provide feedback.

Australia Partnership

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his intent to expand the Canadian Armed Forces’ presence in the Arctic and establish a partnership with Australia to develop Over-the-Horizon Radar technology in Nunavut.

The prime minister said that increasing Northern and Arctic operations would allow the CAF to better detect, deter, and defend against threats to Canada and North America.

Canada signed a technology partnership agreement with Australia on June 20, with DND saying on July 17 that Australia currently operates “one of the most advanced Over-the-Horizon Radar capabilities in the world.”

The technology is able to conduct surveillance at greater ranges than Canada’s current radar technology by bouncing radar beams off the ionosphere to see around the curvature of the Earth.

“Defending and asserting our sovereignty in the Arctic is becoming ever more important as our adversaries are increasing activity the region,” Defence Minister David McGuinty said in a statement.

In 2022, Canada announced plans to spend $38.6 billion to modernize NORAD over the next 20 years by enhancing surveillance, command, control, communications, research, and development, including modernized air weapons systems and infrastructure. NORAD provides aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for the defence of North America.