After unveiling the latest renderings for Ontario Place and blasting the Metro Toronto Convention Centre as “one of the worst” in the world, Premier Doug Ford appears to be turning his efforts to the city’s downtown airport.
Speaking at an event with the Toronto Region Board of Trade on Thursday evening, Ford said he’d seen polling to support expanding the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to include a bigger runway for larger jet engines.
“They’re incredible people,” the premier said of airport leaders. “But I got to tell you one thing, we got to extend that runway. We have to bring jets in, smaller jets, whatever, until people can hop on there.”
The island airport doesn’t fall directly under the premier’s jurisdiction and is governed by a tripartite deal between the City of Toronto, Toronto Port Authority and the federal government. It was recently extended from 2033 to 2045.
The lease was extended at the end of 2024 by city council in a 17-8 vote following a motion from Mayor Olivia Chow. She put forward the proposal despite a staff report that advised against drawing out the agreement before more public consultation.
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Ford addressed his comments to Chow on Thursday night, telling her strong public support would allow her to expand the downtown airport.
“So, mayor, we did a poll, and our poll is pretty, pretty accurate,” he said. “It is telling us that 70 per cent of the people — now this just totally flipped, especially for people living downtown and that want to get somewhere real quick.”
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Chow’s office said in a statement she would “work with the Premier on waterfront revitalization.”
Billy Bishop is located on Toronto Island across the water from Bathurst Street.
It operates Air Canada and Porter Airlines flights to domestic Canadian destinations and some cities in the United States, like New York and Chicago. It competes with Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga and, to an extent, the Hamilton or Kitchener airports.
Ford said he wanted to see the airport expanded because it’s a “gold mine” to have air travel so conveniently accessible in the downtown.
“It’s a gold mine, having an airport downtown. That’s what the polls are saying. That’s what the people are saying,” Ford said.
“They want another option to get this done. So, with the mayor’s support, we’re going to put out some proposals to get things moving.”
A spokesperson for the Toronto Port Authority declined an interview request.
“At a time when the provincial and federal governments are looking to build resiliency and a future-focused economy, now is the right time to look at how this airport can be more and do more,” they said in a statement.
“We welcome the comments made by the Premier at the Toronto Region Board of Trade Annual Dinner which speak to the need to build resiliency, prepare for the future, and unlock the tremendous economic potential of the airport.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
Hey! Why not add more congestion downtown?
Where is this larger airport going to be? Umm. Build up the island? At what cost vs benefit to whom? Not the general public that take the UP to our existing airport.
Why not rebuild Downsview? Seems like transit can’t handle the people that go to poor venue concerts. And transit, Mr Ford. Nice job . Me thinks we have a Trump wannabe.
Hmmm Did Fed promise this to the Ontario Place Spa owners. Science Centre won’t do well with the added vibrations either.
With bigger planes you need more parking….etc .. There will be too many people and flights diverted there.
It’ll be chaos.
I like it the way it is .
Your high priced condos willlode value with the added noise and frequency of flights. Was Fords survey from all the time people that live in the flight path? I doubt it. Likely MPPs and the Premier who want the convenience not the general residents.
Exactly how much traffic in downtown Toronto is this Premier going to create by shoving ALL the city attractions, new convention centre, and now a full scale airport into a couple of square kilometres? I’m exhausted watching this person rearrange our city for tourism profits like he’s playing ‘monopoly’.
There is no poll. That’s 100% accurate
I find it hard to believe that all the latte drinking collectivist environmental mob would want bigger planes landing on the island….but then again hypocrisy knows no bounds
As journalists, do you just quote people or find evidence? What poll is Doug Ford talking about? Have you or anyone you know been asked for your opinion? All I’ve found are articles from 2013-2014 saying that only 46-47% of Torontonians support expanding Billy Bishop to allow for jets.
As usual, Doug Ford is lying to get what he wants for his bank account.
Where’s the Poll Doug speaks of? Who did they Poll?
Folks in South Etobicoke already deal with planes from Pearson, the Turbo props going to Billy Bishop, and the rest of the air traffic going downtown.