Buttonville airport in Markham officially closes as property will be redeveloped

After decades of operations in Markham, the Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport has officially closed ahead of an eventual redevelopment.

News of the airport’s closure surfaced in June after a letter was issued to tenants and staff saying the lease with Cadillac Fairview, the owners of the property since 2010, was set to end on Nov. 30.

Derek Sifton, the president of Torontair Ltd. and whose family previously owned the airport, said on Thursday there were mixed emotions with the closure. He said the facility was a community asset that was unable to keep operating without government assistance.

“It’s sad to see everything that took place here come to an end. It’s hard to believe. When you wind down an operation, you see what goes into keep(ing) this place going with 330,000 square feet of hanger and ops space,”

“Now it’s completely empty and we’re busy running around trying to empty each nook and cranny of the operation.”

Sifton said Transport Canada was at the facility, located at Highway 404 and 16th Avenue, on Thursday to revoke the airport’s operating certificate. He also said crews had to remove runway markings and signage, and add ‘X’ marks to indicate the airport is closed.

Difficulties in planning the site’s future led to delays in Buttonville’s closing. In 2018, the airport was so close to ceasing operations that Nav Canada, which operates the country’s air traffic control and civil air navigation system, decided to remove control tower staff at the airport.

Cadillac Fairview is currently undergoing a development process for the massive property. What exactly will be built on the site isn’t clear.

Meanwhile, Sifton said people have been dropping by recently for one last look.

“As an airport, we were one of the top 10 busiest airports in Canada based on aircraft movements. This place has been the launchpad for a lot of individuals and Buttonville has kickstarted their careers,” he said.