Toronto mayor files urgent motion demanding province 'return our waterfront' after feds reject airport plans

Ottawa rejected proposal for jet expansion at Billy Bishop Airport last week

‘Return our waterfront': Toronto mayor says after feds reject Billy Bishop expansion plans

Toronto's mayor filed urgent motion Monday to demand the province give back waterfront land after the federal government rejected a proposal for a jet expansion at Billy Bishop Airport.

In a post on social media platform X, Mayor Olivia Chow said she wants Little Norway Park and the Toronto Islands back in the control of the municipality.

"Council has formally opposed the unacceptable overreach. We still do," she said. "Return our waterfront to us."

CBC Toronto has reached out to the Transportation Ministry for comment.

Chow’s motion, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, comes after federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon announced Friday the government would be "exclusively" focused on approved safety upgrades already underway at Billy Bishop, rather than on building the airport out to allow jets to land.

The conclusion was based on public consultations that garnered more than 87,000 responses with nearly 87 per cent of respondents opposed to changes, a spokesperson for MacKinnon said. But the minister left the door open for a potential change of course in future years, framing the decision as "at this stage," instead of a final one.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford's proposal to extend the airport's runway 600 metres west — on top of the 150-metre runway end safety zones already in the offing — drew concern from environmental and community advocates over noise, traffic and pollution levels, as well as affordable housing and the Toronto waterfront itself.

Bill 110 became law in early June and gave the province the ability to take over the entirety of the Toronto Islands, though Ford's government said it would only take what was necessary.

The province also booted the city from a long-standing tripartite agreement that governs Billy Bishop Airport. Ontario took over the city's spot in that agreement, joining the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority, an arm's-length federal agency.

Ford called his vision of an expanded airport a "crown jewel" and his government has been saying an expanded airport would add billions to the economy every year.

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Port Authority CEO RJ Steenstra, who was bullish on the expansion, said at a committee hearing on the bill that the airport expansion would cost between $4 and $5 billion over 25 years, and would be paid for by passengers and airlines.

Steenstra said at that hearing that he had shared preliminary plans with the federal and provincial governments, but not the city, which he said was due to scheduling issues.

More than 6,000 lawn signs were distributed across Toronto by advocacy groups NoJetsTO and Environmental Defence, with thousands of residents sending letters to their local Member of Parliament. On Sunday, the two groups hosted a celebration to commemorate the power of community.

Liberal MP Chi Nguyen (Spadina—Harbourfront) told CBC Radio's Metro Morning her office heard from nearly 7500 residents, with almost 3,000 of them partaking in the public consultation process.

"We are all thinking about what happens in Ontario and Toronto in terms of being ready and resilient in terms of our economy, but we have to do this [by] thinking about what's right for Toronto," she added. "Toronto's waterfront has to grow with our community and not at its expense."

Province will continue 'to work to advance the expansion'

Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a post on X Friday night that the provincial government still has plans for the airport and looks forward to "continuing to work to advance the expansion."

He said the plan would ensure the project addresses potential noise and environmental impacts, expands Little Norway Park, protects public spaces and supports new housing opportunities in the area.

On Saturday, Ford’s office sent CBC Toronto a statement that replicated Sarkaria's statement verbatim. Asked for comment on Chow's motion Monday, Ford's office directed CBC Toronto to its Saturday statement.

Sarkaria is set to host a news conference in St. Thomas, Ont., Tuesday morning.

John Gradek, a faculty lecturer in aviation management and supply networks at McGill University, said he wasn’t surprised by the federal government’s decision.

"We've had enough opposition in the marketplace, whether it's local citizens or whether it's local MP's and the media," he told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Monday. "There really wasn't any data that was really available to us."

In her post to social media, Chow said the city has been demanding to see the plans for the airport, but the Toronto Port Authority has actively tried to hide them. She added the city has researched the impacts on housing, congestion and the environment and found the project would most benefit Wall Street bankers at JP Morgan.

The airport's passenger terminal is owned by Nieuport Aviation, which is controlled by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, a U.S.-based firm.

Extending runway 'not the answer': expert

According to Gradek, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport is more than satisfactory for the city.

"There is no [dire] need to create more capacity," he said, noting Billy Bishop plays a more niche role in serving the local market.

Despite this, the need might grow in the next generation, which may be why the federal government didn’t entirely close the door on the opportunity, Gradek said.

"But extending the runway by 2,000 metres and going into it and putting landfill into the lake is not the answer."

Billy Bishop expansion could hurt Toronto harbour water, negate billions in infrastructure upgrades, city says

Provincial opposition parties cheered the federal government's decision and urged Ford to back down.

"Right now, Bill 110 is still law," said NDP Leader Marit Stiles.

"Doug Ford has given himself the power to do whatever he wants with Little Norway Park and the Toronto Islands. It's time to end this land grab, kill Bill 110, and return Toronto Island and Little Norway park back to Toronto."

Provincial Liberal legislator Adil Shamji called Bill 110 a "terrible deal."

"That legislation should be torn up," he said. "This is yet another in a series of examples in which Doug Ford makes wild promises for pipe dreams and pet projects without ever doing his homework."

Gabriela Silva Ponte has been with CBC Toronto since January 2025. Currently, she works as a web writer, but has previously taken on a variety of reporting roles in ethnic media newsrooms and at Toronto Metropolitan University. Gabriela graduated from TMU with a Bachelor of Journalism. You can reach her at gabriela.silva.ponte@cbc.ca.

With files from The Canadian Press