The Ford government is moving ahead with its plans to expropriate Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, including taking control of parkland on the waterfront, amid massive backlash from the mayor’s office.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria tabled the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act on Thursday afternoon, which would give the province the power to take control of land in and around the island travel hub.
The bill, if passed, will allow Ontario to take control of roughly one-third of Little Norway Park on the waterfront, and let the Ford government replace the City of Toronto in the tripartite agreement that manages the airport.
“We’re very excited about this,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park. “The economic potential of this, not just for the city, but the province and the country.”
Mayor Olivia Chow, however, doesn’t appear to share that excitement.
“Unilaterally taking City land is not acceptable,” she said in a statement sent shortly after the legislation was tabled.
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“The province is about to uproot a complete community, take our land, and pave over Little Norway Park. That sends a signal to all Torontonians, if the province wants to, they can take land, public space and parks to pave them without the City of Toronto having a say.”
Chow tabled a motion at city council opposing the move and, among other demands, suggested the province should buy the properties of residents affected and apologize.
Exactly what the province and Billy Bishop plan to do with the land and expansion remains unclear.
Sarkaria couldn’t tell reporters on Thursday how long the new runway would need to be to accommodate jets at the airport or what the land from Little Norway Park would be used for.
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There’s no timeline for the work to be completed, although the government says it intends to get started immediately.
Last month, the government announced it would designate the airport a special economic zone, where some rules and laws are suspended. The tool sparked major controversy when it was introduced.
The provincial government rushed its Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, through the legislature last year to give itself the power to declare special economic zones.
Those areas, which can be decided by Ford and his cabinet, would see environmental, provincial and local laws suspended to fast-track projects.
Ford insisted that suspending existing laws — including environmental rules — won’t have a negative impact on the area.
“We always focus on environmental issues,” the premier said previously. “We take all that into consideration. But we can’t just sit back.”
Ford said the federal government was supportive of the move.
How sad. Why I never vote Conservative in a nutshell.