{"id":665575,"date":"2026-05-13T00:51:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/665575\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T00:51:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:51:31","slug":"ministers-sarkaria-and-ali-mayor-brown-unite-to-champion-historic-pearson-airport-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/665575\/","title":{"rendered":"Ministers Sarkaria and Ali, Mayor Brown Unite to Champion Historic Pearson Airport Expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

May 12, 2026 <\/p>\n

Brampton leaders and provincial officials break ground on one of the largest airport infrastructure projects in Canadian history<\/p>\n

TORONTO \u2014 May 12, 2026 \u2014 In a show of cross-governmental partnership, Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, President of the Treasury Board of Canada Shafqat Ali, and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown joined Toronto Pearson International Airport officials on Monday to break ground on Pearson LIFT (Long-Term Investment in Facilities and Terminal) \u2014 one of the largest airport infrastructure projects in Canadian history.<\/p>\n

The initial $3-billion investment begins what the airport calls a \u201cdecade-long\u201d transformation of the travel hub, which will enable it to serve 65 million passengers each year, up from 45 million in 2023.<\/p>\n

For Brampton, the stakes are particularly high. Mayor Brown emphasized the deep ties between the city and the airport, noting that nearly 10,000 Bramptonians are currently employed at Pearson, and that businesses based at the airport spend approximately $95 million annually on goods and services from Brampton companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cToronto Pearson International Airport isn\u2019t just Canada\u2019s gateway to the world \u2014 it\u2019s a gateway to opportunity for our residents,\u201d said Mayor Brown. \u201cFor thousands of our residents, the Pearson Economic Zone is where they work, grow their careers, and build their futures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown also underscored the immediate economic benefits the construction phase will bring to the city: \u201cThis isn\u2019t just about long-term infrastructure \u2014 it\u2019s about opportunity that starts now. As construction gets underway, we know this program will create new jobs, drive skills development, and open the door for local businesses to participate in procurement opportunities.\u201d
Pearson president and CEO Deborah Flint said the project will create an additional 16,000 jobs at the airport, expanding its workforce from 52,000 to 68,000 workers over the course of the program.<\/p>\n

Ontario\u2019s Transportation Minister Sarkaria remarked, \u201cIt\u2019s a huge step forward to modernize and expand a cornerstone of Ontario and Canada\u2019s transportation system. It means upgraded infrastructure, improved passenger experiences, expanded capacity and the ability to support Ontario\u2019s growth for decades to come\u201d.<\/p>\n

The first phase of LIFT will focus on modernizing airfield technology and overhauling the baggage network. A new state-of-the-art airfield lighting control and management system will enhance visibility and guidance on runways and taxiways, while investments are being made across 30 kilometres of baggage infrastructure, including new luggage carousels in Terminal 1. New aircraft stands and a high-speed taxiway are also being added to an expanded 2.2 million square metre airfield, supporting 28,000 additional passengers daily.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mayor Brown called the broader program a transformative moment for the region: \u201cWe celebrate more than a groundbreaking \u2014 we celebrate partnership, progress, and shared prosperity. We are proud to stand with you as you bring this vision to life \u2014 building not just infrastructure, but opportunity \u2014 for our residents, our businesses, and our collective future.\u201d<\/p>\n

By 2034, the full LIFT program is projected to support capacity for 65 million annual passengers, generate more than $9 billion in new economic activity for Canada, and support 166,000 jobs across the country.<\/p>\n

Brampton is a central part of the broader Pearson Economic Zone \u2014 the country\u2019s largest employment area, with 500,000 jobs and delivering 7% of Ontario\u2019s GDP.<\/p>\n

The Pearson LIFT program is a phased, multi-billion-dollar initiative to modernize and expand Toronto Pearson International Airport, positioning it as one of the world\u2019s most advanced and passenger-friendly airports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"May 12, 2026 Brampton leaders and provincial officials break ground on one of the largest airport infrastructure projects…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":665576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194339],"tags":[51759,49,48],"class_list":["post-665575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brampton","tag-brampton","tag-ca","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=665575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=665575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=665575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=665575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}