Ontario will declare Toronto’s island airport the province’s first special economic zone as it moves to take over land owned by the city, Premier Doug Ford said Monday. This is the latest move by the Ford government to push expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to include jets.
City Hall opposes plan
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is strongly opposed the plan, calling it an unacceptable, unilateral grab of city land. Chow is seeking transparency regarding the impact on the waterfront and housing, planning to oppose the forced expropriation.
The mayor expressed concerns about the impact on waterfront enjoyment, local traffic/congestion, future housing plans, and the film sector.
Ford said the “lefties” at city hall are in the way of expanding the island airport, which he called a “crown jewel for economic growth.”
“This is long overdue, and this is the exact reason we’re doing it,” Ford said. “They don’t want to create more jobs. They don’t want to create economic development, they don’t want to create a competitive environment and convenience for the people of Toronto.”
Ford said the province will take over the City of Toronto’s spot in the tripartite agreement that governs the land. That agreement is currently between the city, the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority, which is a federal agency.
Ford said the province will provide “fair compensation” to the city for the transaction and for operating costs.
Not the first try at an “economic zone”
This is the first time the Ford government has declared a special economic zone in the province.
The government passed Bill 5 last year, which included the controversial special economic zone provision that allows the province to suspend provincial and municipal laws for a given project.
Ford said last year he intended to declare the Ring of Fire, the proposed mining region in northern Ontario, a special economic zone.
Documents unearthed through freedom-of-information laws from Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce’s office showed the province originally intended to make the Ring of Fire the first such zone.
But significant protests from the vast majority of First Nations, who were deeply opposed to the new law and saw it as a trampling of their treaty rights, caused the Ford government to pause.
A few weeks ago, Ford said he didn’t need a special economic zone in the region after the province came to agreements with a few First Nations and the federal government to move ahead with building a road to the Ring of Fire. The proposed road that is set to begin construction this year will also connect several remote fly-in First Nations to the provincial highway system.
This is different
But the Billy Bishop airport designation is different, Ford said, because of city council.
“They don’t want to build anything, nothing, leave the airport, let’s be last place in everything,” Ford said. “That is the mentality of the left.”
Ford did not say which laws he intends to suspend, but said the province takes environmental issues “seriously.”
“So, we’re going to use all cautions, but we’re gonna move forward,” Ford said.
“Last time I checked out there, that’s a pretty big lake, and a few thousand feet aren’t gonna disturb too many things.”
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