Overview
- The provincial legislature passed a law last week that lets Ontario replace the City of Toronto in the tripartite governance of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
- Premier Doug Ford is promoting a plan to allow jets, build nearly a kilometre of artificial peninsulas to lengthen the runway, and grow capacity to about 10 million passengers with an estimated cost up to $5 billion over 25 years, but the government has not publicly released a detailed business case.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney said he has not formed an opinion and announced a federal public consultation process this summer, and any change to allow jets would still require federal regulatory approvals.
- Toronto-area Liberal MPs and Mayor Olivia Chow have been cautious or noncommittal pending more detail, while provincial opposition MPPs and local community groups are mobilizing to press Ottawa and MPs to block the expansion.
- Transport Canada has separately ordered a 150-metre runway safety zone and the province plans to designate the airport area a special economic zone to fast-track work pending approvals, raising questions about waterfront parks, local traffic and how this fight echoes a failed 2015 expansion bid.