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Mayor Olivia Chow says Toronto is being left in the dark on plans to expand Billy Bishop Airport, while the Toronto Port Authority shares some details with other levels of government.
Chow’s office told CBC Toronto the mayor’s staff met with staff from the port authority earlier this month, before the mayor and the authority’s CEO met last week. At those meetings, the mayor and her staff were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, which they refused to do.
At a committee meeting at Queen’s Park in May, the authority’s president and CEO Roelof-Jan Steenstra said Ontario has seen early work on the plans while Ottawa has also seen some of the plans for the expansion, which has been pegged at between $4 and $5 billion. The Toronto Star first reported details of the meetings between the mayor and port authority.
“I don’t understand what the Toronto Port Authority has to hide,” the mayor said to reporters Tuesday.
“I know there’s a consultant report. Make it public.”
WATCH | Carney on Ford’s push to expand airport:
Ford said the federal government is on board with Billy Bishop expansion. But Carney says he’s undecided
Ford wants to expand Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to allow jets to land and take off, an idea he said the federal government has endorsed. But as CBC’s Lorenda Reddekopp explains, Carney said he has not yet formed an opinion, pending broad consultations expected to take place this summer.
After meeting with the port authority, the mayor said she has concerns about how the multi-billion-dollar price tag will be covered, saying she hasn’t seen revenue projections to back up the spend.
The port authority, a federal agency, is one of the signatories to the tripartite agreement that governs the airport, along with the federal government and Queen’s Park, which recently passed legislation to take Toronto’s place.
In response to several questions about the mayor’s statements Tuesday, the port authority told CBC Toronto it would not comment.
Toronto says expansion could impact future housing
The mayor has long been opposed to having jets flying in and out of the waterfront, which is Premier Doug Ford’s rationale for expanding the runway.
In addition to concerns about the congestion on downtown roads created by expanding the airport, city staff also recently shared an in-depth analysis of its impact on Toronto’s housing near the waterfront with the city’s planning and housing committee.
According to that report, about 86,000 units in the development pipeline are already in the airport’s current flight paths. If the expansion goes ahead, that number will grow to about 94,000 units.
WATCH | Torontonians protest potential island airport expansion:
Residents gather at Little Norway Park amid proposal to alter Billy Bishop airport
An Ontario government proposal to expand the runways at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is facing pushback by those who neighbour the airport. Some are worried a park in the area could be redeveloped, despite the government’s insistence it will remain. CBC’s Naama Weingarten spoke to residents who oppose the plan.
Additionally, if the expansion proceeds, the number of existing units that could be in the island airport’s flight path would increase by about 25,000, according to the report.
The expansion, to allow for millions of new passengers per year, could lead to forced design changes for buildings that sit close to flight paths, according to city planners, such as windows that don’t open, no balconies or restrictions on rooftop amenities.
Those changes could impact the viability of some planned developments, planners warn.