Premier Doug Ford says jets are coming to Billy Bishop Airport \u201cone way or another\u201d and labelled Toronto Island residents who may oppose the move as \u201csquatters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFolks. Game\u2019s over….You\u2019re getting a (house for a) dollar a year, but guess what? We aren\u2019t going to worry about the one \u2018percenters\u2019 that affect the 99 per cent of the rest of the population,\u201d he said at an unrelated news conference on Monday. <\/p>\n
Ford was referring to the unique real estate arrangement on the island that allows residents to own their homes for below-market rates through a trust while paying to lease the land.<\/p>\n
According to the Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation<\/a>, the average priced home on the island sells for between $150,000 and $400,000. Residents must also pay a one-time lease cost for the land, which is currently set at approximately $60,000 on Ward\u2019s Island and $78,000 on Algonquin Island under existing legislation.<\/p>\n Ford\u2019s comments build on an address he made late last month, in which he said he wants to extend the runway to allow for larger planes to make use of the island airport.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an idea that\u2019s been talked about before, but never taken flight, due in part to a lack of public approval. However, Ford said his government\u2019s own polling show that 70 per cent of those asked want the airport expanded. The specifics of that poll have not been released.<\/p>\n The airport\u2019s operator, the Toronto Port Authority, said last week it \u201cfully\u201d supports the premier\u2019s vision for Billy Bishop. The port\u2019s president and CEO Roelof-Jan (RJ) Steenstra said it is developing a plan to modernize the airport to meet rising aviation demand in the province, noting that Ontario\u2019s population is expected to rise from 16.1 million to 20.5 million people by 2051.<\/p>\n But, he said, none of those ambitions are possible if site continues to be governed in its current form. Under the Tripartite Agreement<\/a>, which was signed by the landowners in 1983 and dictates how the island\u2019s airport is operated, the type of aircrafts permitted at Billy Bishop is limited.<\/p>\n