Billy Bishop airport expansion officially grounded: transport minister
Posted November 12, 2015 11:43 pm.
Last Updated November 13, 2015 8:04 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s official. Jets won’t fly out of Billy Bishop Toronto City airport.
On Thursday night, Canada’s new transport minister, Marc Garneau, tweeted that the Liberal government would not reopen an agreement that could have led to the expansion of the Toronto Island airport.
“I confirm that GoC position is same as LPC commitment: we will not re-open tripartite agreement for YTZ,” Garneau tweeted.
“What it means … is the long-standing debate that has taken years over whether or not to expand the Island Airport and allow jets is officially done. Jets will not fly out of an expanded airport,” Coun. Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) said on Friday.
Porter wanted to buy up to 30 of Bombardier’s new CSeries jets, but only if the runway was lengthened.
The federal government was one of three bodies that would have needed to give the green light on any change to the island airport infrastructure.
Around two million passengers fly in and out of Billy Bishop Airport each year.
