Doug Ford is doubling down on his plan to seize land to expand Billy Bishop airport
All to let jets land downtown
Premier Doug Ford is using every tool at his disposal to have jets land at Billy Bishop airport.
Speaking at the airport this morning, Ford announced that the province would take over the City of Toronto’s role in governing the island airport and seize the city’s land on the site. In return, he said the city would receive “fair compensation” for the land given up, reports CP24.
Related: Signs point to a Billy Bishop airport expansion
Ford also said the province would declare the airport a “special economic zone,” a new designation introduced by the government last year that allows it to override supposedly pesky things like environmental regulations for certain projects.
All this is in the service of expanding the airport’s runway to allow it to service jet planes, a move Ford says will help the airport “achieve its full potential.” He claimed expansion would result in cheaper flights, more options and less pressure on Pearson airport.
The changes would also include upgrades to the terminal building and measures to improve access to the Toronto waterfront, allowing more people to enjoy the new sights, smells and sounds of massive, roaring, exhaust-spewing jet planes.
This week, city council is expected to debate a motion supported by Mayor Olivia Chow opposing any unilateral expropriation of city land by either the provincial or federal government, reports Toronto Today. “If they are planning to expropriate even more city land at Bathurst and Queen’s Quay to make the airport expansion work, they must consult Torontonians,” she said.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
