Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer
Ontario will take control of land at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and declare the space the province’s “first special economic zone,” Premier Doug Ford announced Monday.
He said the province will take control of land at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and declare it the province’s first “special economic zone,” a move opposed by Toronto’s mayor.
The step is part of a plan to expand the airport to accommodate jets. He criticized city officials, calling the airport a “crown jewel for economic growth.”
“This is long overdue,” Ford said. “They don’t want to create more jobs. They don’t want to create economic development. They don’t want to create a competitive environment and convenience for the people of Toronto.”
The province will assume the City of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement governing the airport, which currently involves the city, the federal government, and the Toronto Port Authority. Ford said the province will provide “fair compensation” for the transaction and operating costs.
The Toronto Port Authority has proposed a modernization plan that includes updates to the tripartite agreement to allow for modern jet aircraft, changes to the runway to accommodate modern aircraft, enhancements to the terminal building and improved access to Toronto’s waterfront. Once fully expanded, the Toronto Port Authority estimates the airport’s activities will contribute up to $8.5 billion to Canada’s economy every year by 2050 and support up to 23,000 jobs in Ontario’s construction sector alone.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the move a “unilateral action” that ignores input from Torontonians.
“Torontonians must have a say over the future of their waterfront,” Chow said. “The provincial and federal governments must be transparent about their plans for the airport and the impact on our waterfront, downtown congestion, housing, and film sector.”
The special economic zone designation, introduced in Bill 5, allows the province to suspend provincial and municipal laws for certain projects. Ford had previously planned to use the law for the Ring of Fire mining region in northern Ontario, but protests from First Nations delayed the initiative.
Ford said the airport project is different because city council is blocking development.
“They don’t want to build anything, nothing, leave the airport, let’s be last place in everything,” Ford said.
Opposition leaders criticized the move. NDP Leader Marit Stiles called it a “power grab and a distraction technique.” Liberal parliamentary leader John Fraser said the legislation is designed to give the premier “unchecked authority.”
Ford did not specify which laws might be suspended for the airport expansion but said environmental considerations would be taken seriously.
“Last time I checked out there, that’s a pretty big lake, and a few thousand feet aren’t going to disturb too many things,” he said.
