Opposition grows for Billy Bishop Airport expansion plans
Recently, the Ford Government passed Bill 110, the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act. This act gives the provincial government, specifically the Minister of Transportation, the ability to transfer the lands of Billy Bishop Airport owned by the City of Toronto to the Crown, and prevents the city from selling said land. The act also removes the City as a participant in the Tripartite Agreement.
Billy Bishop Airport is the main commuter airport in Toronto. It’s located right in the centre of the city on the Toronto Islands and carries about 1.7 million people per year, still down from pre-pandemic levels. The Tripartite Agreement is the main governing document around its operations between its 3 main landowners: the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario, and the Federal Government.
The Provincial Government is currently attempting to expand the airport’s runway to allow for jet aircraft to land there, with considerable local backlash. The community group NoJetsTO, working in conjunction with Environmental Defence have launched a grassroots campaign against the proposed island expansion plan.
Concerns are also being raised in the Legislature by the leaders of the Ontario NDP and Ontario Green Party, as well as the interim leader of the Ontario Liberals, all of whom voted against Bill 110 with their respective parties. However, the Federal Government has yet to make any statement either in support or opposition on the airport expansion, leaving that mainly to individual MP’s. This all comes after the passage of Bill 5 provincially and Bill C-5 Federally, both of which allow for the designation of “Special Economic Zones” where traditional regulations on the environment, heritage, and labour do not apply.
Critics also point to the lack of current transit access to Billy Bishop Airport. Currently, the airport is only served by the 509 Harbourfront streetcar and does not have direct access to the Toronto Subway. This means the vast amount of traffic to the airport, should it be expanded, will come via car, adding to the already high amount of motor traffic in Downtown Toronto. As well as adding noise pollution, undermining housing targets in the Portlands redevelopment plan, and the ongoing redevelopment of Ontario Place.
With the Ford Government's decision to shield records relating to the expansion from the public, and the discovery of J.P. Morgan’s lobbying efforts to MP’s and MPP’s for the expansion leading to allegations of the Premier selling the airport to the Americans. Nieuport Aviation, the current operator of the airport terminal (who is being advised by J.P. Morgan) has also refused to answer questions on how the expansion will affect the current and future profitability of the airport as an entity.
It remains to be seen whether the Carney government will allow the expansion to go through, but if it does, we may very well see some new NDP seats come next election.
