A new agreement to keep Billy Bishop Airport on the Toronto Islands has landed, officially staving off a controversial debate about the airport’s future for years to come.
On Thursday, the City of Toronto, the federal government and PortsToronto signed a new three-way agreement to keep planes flying on Toronto’s waterfront until 2045.
The deal means the airport can build out its runway to comply with new federal safety regulations regarding passenger volume thresholds.
Billy Bishop Airport has long been a hot topic at city hall. Proponents argue it’s a convenient flying alternative to Pearson Airport and provides significant economic benefits to the city. Others say the public land could be better used for other purposes such as a park or building new homes.
Last fall, the debate was again thrust onto the city council agenda.
New federal safety regulations meant the airport had to lengthen the runway by July 2027. PortsToronto, the federal agency that runs the airport, said it needed to extend the lease until 2073 to secure financing to fund the $60-million project. The prior lease was set to expire in 2033.
At a late September meeting of Mayor Olivia Chow’s executive committee, she sided with a staff recommendation not to extend the lease but was forced to walk that back at the October city council meeting.
At the October meeting, Chow passed a motion to extend the lease by up to 12 years, which was longer than she initially wanted but well short of PortsToronto’s 40-year extension request.
“The extension is about the safety of passengers and meeting Transport Canada’s regulations by July 12, 2027," Zeus Eden, Chow’s press secretary, said in a statement.
Eden said the city will choose "the cheapest and fastest” option.
The 12-year extension to 2045 means council won’t have to deal with the July 2027 federal deadline again before the 2026 mayoral election, effectively taking a potential wedge issue off the table.
On Thursday, PortsToronto CEO R.J. Steenstra said he was “pleased” that a “cooperative and collaborative effort” led to a deal that will allow the organization to secure financing.
A spokesperson for Porter Airlines, one of the main airlines flying out of Billy Bishop, also celebrated the news.
Brad Cicerno, Porter’s director of communications and public affairs, said the company is “pleased that the airport operating agreement has been updated to facilitate completion” of the new runway.
Porter was not involved in the lease discussions.
“We look forward to continuing to provide valuable air service for Toronto at Billy Bishop,” he said. “It's a valuable part of the city's transportation infrastructure and an important option for millions of residents and visitors.”
However, PortsToronto’s Thursday press release signalled the ongoing debate over the airport’s future will likely be poised for another takeoff in the future.
PortsToronto said the agreement “also recognizes that the parties will discuss a longer-term lease extension and renegotiation of the agreement to ensure ongoing and future operations of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.”
Norm DiPasquale, head of the NoJetsTO advocacy organization that opposes Billy Bishop’s expansion, said the 20-year lease to 2045 will give the city ample time to conduct “thorough and robust consultations” on the airport’s future.
“I hope we start the consultations now so that we have a really good picture of what people want when it comes to 2045,” he said. “Maybe there’s an alternative of no airport and a park. With 20 years … it gives everybody the time they need.”
