Federal government declines to allow jets at Billy Bishop airport ‘at this stage’
The Canadian federal government has rejected a proposal to allow jet aircraft at Toronto's Billy Bishop airport. Officials cited public opposition and a focus on existing safety infrastructure as the primary reasons for the decision.
Why it matters
The decision impacts urban development, local noise pollution, and regional transportation policy in Canada's largest city.
A Porter passenger plane takes off from Billy Bishop airport in Toronto on March 23. Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
The federal government has rejected Ontario’s plans to allow jets at Billy Bishop airport on the downtown Toronto waterfront, delivering a major blow to Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s agenda.
Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon said in a statement Friday that the expansion plans will not go ahead at this stage.
Federal consultations on the jets concluded Friday and an overwhelming majority of the 87,000 responses came from people in Toronto who said they did not want the expansion to go forward, according to a senior government source.
The Globe and Mail is not naming the source as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.
The decision is separate from the airport expansion already under way.
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