Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is backing the Ontario government’s move to expand Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, saying it would be great for the economy and increase competition.
He made the comments only a short distance from Billy Bishop on Sunday while making a separate announcement on government debt.
“This is great for the economy, for the environment and for convenience,” Poilievre said. “This is the business district of our biggest city, why would we not want business travellers to arrive in our business district?”
Poilievre previously called on the federal government in 2022 to approve a runway expansion at the airport to allow jets to fly in and out of downtown.
Echoing comments made then, the Conservative Party leader said it would help with competition in the aviation sector and reduce traffic congestion.
“It would take traffic off the highways between downtown and Pearson and it would allow us to expand our air transportation,” Poilievre said. “Also, Pearson is a disaster. Why is Pearson so bad? Because there is no competition for many of its flights. By extending the runway, Pearson would have to fight for more air transportation traffic and perform better.”
Barely a month after winning their majority government in 2015, the federal Liberals shut down plans to expand Billy Bishop, saying at the time that the tripartite agreement which bans jets from flying to and from the island airport would not be reopened.
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More than a decade later, the Ford government has tabled legislation which would give the province the power to take control of land in and around the island travel hub and replace the City of Toronto in that tripartite agreement.
In a statement to Global News, the office of federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said consensus would be needed for any changes.
“Any future decisions concerning the operating environment of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport will require the consensus of all signatories to the Tripartite Agreement, the lease agreement that governs the operations of the airport,” the statement said.
It added the government will continue working with all parties to ensure strong standards for safety, environmental protection, noise and community impact are upheld.
That move has not been received well by the municipality nor opposition MPPs, with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow stating the province “unilaterally taking city land is not acceptable.”
Chow tabled a motion last month opposing the move and suggested the province should buy the properties of residents affected and apologize.
“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 said.
Several Toronto-area NDP MPPs have also expressed concerns, saying last Tuesday it could “destroy” the waterfront. They also said there’s been concerns about air and noise pollution, and the exemptions that would be needed to allow jets to fly low on the city’s skyline and if it’s safe to increase air traffic around high rises.
What the province and Billy Bishop plan to do with the land and expansion remains unclear, with Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sakaria unable to tell reporters two weeks ago how long the new runway would need to be to accommodate jets.
There’s also no timeline for the work to be completed, although the government says it intends to get started immediately.
—with files from Global News’ Isaac Callan and Colin D’Mello and The Canadian Press
I don’t really understand the argument for expanding Billy Bishop.
The traffic argument seems especially weak. If the concern is downtown access to Pearson, we already have the UP Express from Union, which is usually far less absurd than driving. And while people may report taking “transit” to Billy Bishop, there isn’t exactly a subway, streetcar, or bus that drops you at the terminal. You still have to get yourself to the foot of Bathurst and walk with your bags, or use the airport shuttle, which is itself traffic and does not seem obviously scalable if passenger and staff volumes increase.
I’ve also been at Billy Bishop when a flight was delayed because the crew couldn’t make it to the airport on time, which rather undercuts the idea that downtown location magically solves access problems.
Expanding an airport on the waterfront could just as easily add more taxis, Ubers, shuttles, staff trips, deliveries, and terminal traffic into an already constrained part of the city.
And “Pearson is bad” doesn’t automatically mean “therefore expand the Island airport.” Try flying through O’Hare if you want to see what a truly chaotic major airport can feel like. Pearson having problems is not, by itself, a serious argument for reshaping Toronto’s waterfront.
The “more jobs” argument also feels like selective accounting. Plenty of public projects create jobs. A hospital creates jobs. Transit creates jobs. Housing creates jobs. The question is not “does this create some jobs?” It’s “is this the best use of scarce waterfront land, public attention, infrastructure, and political capital?”
So what is the real case here? If it’s convenience for a subset of business travellers, say that. If it’s airline competition, make that case honestly. But dressing it up as an obvious win for traffic, jobs, and ordinary Torontonians feels pretty specious.
Didn’t Poilievre lose his seat? Is he still in politics?
didn’t Poilievre lose his seat ,is he still in politics?
Obviously, Pollievre has not spent time in the overly congested downtown area of Toronto and nor has spent time on Lake Ontario where the planes already fly low over the waterfront area. I suggest a boat ride and take in the fumes!
How does it feel to be ignored Toronto, feeling like western Canada yet? lol
@Anoymous.
I leave because of winter. I have enough $ to do so. Are your grapes sour?
“proud Albertan” is so proud that he has to leave the place for months of the year. lol….can’t satnd it for a whole year.
GTA is a disaster in general. So glad I live in Wild Rose Country and then New Mexico Jan 1 – April 1
Ford is fixated on jets and tunnels.
PP? Who cares.
@.Capt Obvious that land is part of the Toronto Islands….those people have 99 year leases……Billy Bishop airport the way it is isin a high density high rise apartments as it is…..doesn’t need jets….
once I agree with Chow
Vancouver’s airport is far superior than Pearson. In general, everything about the GTA is unimpressive. Totally mediocre
Pearson wouldn’t even rank on a list for third world airports. The architects, and designers who built the maze should be jailed. 3 kilometer walks from de-boarding to customs, with absolutely nothing to see, no shops or rest areas. Most times the escalators are out of service. Just an embarrassment!
Would be great to have direct flights to Vancouver, Edmonton and other places from this central airport. Make a lot of sense
Agree Sean Webb, and to add to this, spending the money to extend the approach and runway to point that its required would ruin the waterfront and would not address any of the issues at Pearson re overflow in any meaningful way as the footprint is too small regardless. As far as the comment about not living near an airport – the majority of us did not which is also the point.
It’s noisy enough for the businesses and residents living near the island airport. If you add jet planes it would be miserable.
Don’t live close to an airport if you don’t want to hear planes take off and land
Anything I have read suggests this is not a good idea. Environmentally and for the area in which it is located. This is another way Ford can push his own agenda, while is slowly destroys the waterfront!
Why don’t they expand London Ontario’s airport. I’m tired of driving to Toronto and believe most people in southern Ontario feel the same
Now you maybe get how Richmond, B.C residents feel.
Totally elitist move for TO ,
Expand Hamilton makes more sense better location outside the city for southern and western Ontario
Ford is acting like Trump now we have to get rid of him to.
Chow does not understand that the municipalities in Canada operate under the Province. The province delegates responsibility to the municipality, if the municipality can provide more targeted support. This is simply Ontario taking back what is really theirs.
Canadian Press bringing up the air and noise pollution. That will happen wherever the jets land. – Ever been in a big city, it is a noisy and usually smelly place.
The runway is aimed parallel to the city, so the planes would land and take off over water. – so why is this still being brought up as an issue?
The A220-100 needs a shorter runway than the Q-400. The 737Max needs a longer one. There are active proposals to extend the main runway to accommodate larger jet aircraft, potentially reaching over 1,800 meters. – what do you mean “what the province is planning on doing is unclear”?
If you want to enrage a Liberal or a so called progressive you tell them the truth
Yes, if we’re lucky, The Island Airport will grow to become as impersonal and self serving as Pearson. To really cement it, we should hire the same gang to run the concessions at the Island. Let’s be miserable together!
PP has NEVER, ever done or created any project on his own. All he ever does is complain about what others are doing 100% of the time. Name ONE thing he has created or contributed to society to make it better. You cant because hes a professional whinner!
Elbows Up Canadians will be outraged as truth has been spoken.
I agree with PP. I fly out of Buffalo, NY as it is way more convenient.
Poilievre you are a walking, talking disaster. Nothing but a weasel.
Carney will take a poll on this and then decide what his position is on it. Then he will flip flop a few more times depending on what will end up lining his own pockets.
Great – he represents the 7 million of the GTA not just the bike riding lefties in parkdale.
I never fly into Pearson from Calgary. Always go to Hamilton, London, Kitchener. Much easier.