Ontario Takes Next Step in Taking Over Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

Ontario has passed legislation that will soon designate Toronto’s island airport as a “special economic zone” in an effort to fast track its expansion now that the province has taken over the land.

Canadian Press reports that the province this week passed into law a bill that allows it to take over all the land on the Toronto Islands where Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is located.

The province says it will not take over the entirety of the Toronto Islands and will work with the city to only use the land needed to make the airport bigger.

Premier Doug Ford calls YTZ a “crown jewel,” and wants to extend the runways to allow for jet planes. Currently, only turboprops can land at the facility.

The new law also allows the province to take Toronto’s spot in a tripartite agreement that governs the land, an accord that is currently between the city, the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority, which is a federal agency.

“We’re going to work with the Toronto Port Authority to ensure that we move forward with that and deploy the special economic zones and other tools that are needed to ensure that this project is moved forward,” said Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria.

“It’s too important for Ontario, for Canada, not to get this project moving forward,” he said. 

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has called the project a land grab without consultation.

“Once again, Torontonians are the victims of provincial overreach, robbed of their say over the future of their own waterfront,” Chow said in a statement on Thursday. 

The port authority supports the plan, which Ford hopes will increase passenger traffic from two million a year to 10 million.

The federal government has been publicly noncommittal on the idea. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon’s office told Canadian Press it will work closely with the province and other partners on the airport and support its long-term success.

“Consultations will launch this summer providing communities and residents with an opportunity to share their perspectives. Feedback gathered through this process will play a role in guiding any future decisions and shaping the tripartite agreement,” his office said in an email.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has called Ford’s idea a “very interesting vision” with “big possibilities.”