Billy Bishop Airport Expansion?

[Amare]

Paywalled:

Ford mulls taking over Toronto’s stake in Billy Bishop Airport as he pushes for expansion

Ontario would consider using expropriation to override city and allow jets, source says

www.theglobeandmail.com

Doug Ford truly is a nutcase, with a tincan for a brain.

Glad to see his tending to such critical issues in this province, such as healthcare, education, correctional services, etc.

Oh wait.....

 

[TwoWheelPoli]

Paywalled:

Ford mulls taking over Toronto’s stake in Billy Bishop Airport as he pushes for expansion

Ontario would consider using expropriation to override city and allow jets, source says

www.theglobeandmail.com

Over my dead body!

Meanwhile, Matt Elliott called out Ford's obsession with Toronto's waterfront including jets at YTZ and a conference centre built on lake fill.

Matt Elliott: Why Doug Ford needs to get over his obsession with Toronto and its waterfront

The premier’s recent proposal for jets at Billy Bishop and a conference centre on reclaimed land follow 15 years of his various attempts to put his own stamp on the waterfront.

www.thestar.com

 

[innsertnamehere]

Over my dead body!

Meanwhile, Matt Elliott called out Ford's obsession with Toronto's waterfront including jets at YTZ and a conference centre built on lake fill.

Matt Elliott: Why Doug Ford needs to get over his obsession with Toronto and its waterfront

The premier’s recent proposal for jets at Billy Bishop and a conference centre on reclaimed land follow 15 years of his various attempts to put his own stamp on the waterfront.

www.thestar.com

Might be tough to oppose this time. Unlike last time, there isn't a new federal government coming in and there isn't a deferential provincial government. Doug can just override the city, as we know.. and we know he doesn't mind doing that.

If the Feds won't oppose it, which I suspect they won't.. not much you can do.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Might be tough to oppose this time. Unlike last time, there isn't a new federal government coming in and there isn't a deferential provincial government. Doug can just override the city, as we know.. and we know he doesn't mind doing that. If the Feds won't oppose it, which I suspect they won't.. not much you can do.

Agreed. And I'd say there's a lot of support or at least apathy among Torontonians for jets this time around. I live in downtown east (about 1.5 km from the water) and before Trump I often used Billy Bishop to fly to the USA. I will do so again in 2029 presuming the political climate has improved. As a downtown resident and frequent Harbourfront visitor, I don't mind jets and I'd probably cycle down to watch them land and takeoff.

They allow small jets to land at London City Airport (1,508 m runway vs 1,216 m at YTO), where it is surrounded by housing, recreational boating and parkland and the city hasn't gone full panic.

And it's best to do the airport expansion now before we design and build housing at the new Portlands. We can now keep the towers below the flightpath and any potential residents will be fully aware of airplane noise before they commit to buying or renting in the Portlands. Not that it doesn't stop people who buy near Pearson from claiming surprise and annoyance when airplanes fly overhead.

This hardly looks like a disruption of the harbour either.

 

[TwoWheelPoli]

Might be tough to oppose this time. Unlike last time, there isn't a new federal government coming in and there isn't a deferential provincial government. Doug can just override the city, as we know.. and we know he doesn't mind doing that.

If the Feds won't oppose it, which I suspect they won't.. not much you can do.

Just saw Doug Ford is going to expropriate Toronto's share in the Tripartite Agreement. Is there no end to this madness from his government?

Doug Ford says Ontario will expropriate Billy Bishop airport to get jets in

The provincial premier said he told Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow of his government’s intentions during a conversation at his home.

www.thestar.com

 

[christiesplits]

Just saw Doug Ford is going to expropriate Toronto's share in the Tripartite Agreement. Is there no end to this madness from his government?

Doug Ford says Ontario will expropriate Billy Bishop airport to get jets in

The provincial premier said he told Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow of his government’s intentions during a conversation at his home.

www.thestar.com

This could test the Ford-Carney bromance given the feds control aviation safety and navigation.

 

[Amare]

Just saw Doug Ford is going to expropriate Toronto's share in the Tripartite Agreement. Is there no end to this madness from his government?

Doug Ford says Ontario will expropriate Billy Bishop airport to get jets in

The provincial premier said he told Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow of his government’s intentions during a conversation at his home.

www.thestar.com

We truly have an imbecile of a premier. Why in the hell is this such a priority for him?

And to think we have another 3 years of this clown show.

Maybe the RCMP should investigate who's getting the potential kickbacks from this while they are at it, since they are taking their sweet time with the Greenbelt investigation.

 

[Tuscani01]

This could test the Ford-Carney bromance given the feds control aviation safety and navigation.

Doesn't seem like it. The feds are aligned with expansion based on comments from yesterday.

Federal Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon was more circumspect than Ford at a separate Monday morning appearance to mark the opening of a U.S. preclearance facility at Billy Bishop airport, but nonetheless suggested it’s time for a change.In response to questions about whether the federal government is now in support of jets at the downtown airport, he said: “We support modernizing the arrangements at this airport.”

Ottawa wants to “sit down and look at a way forward” that takes into account technological advancements, safety requirements and the economic need in a city that has seen significant growth since the tripartite agreement that prohibited airport expansion was signed in the 1980s, he said.

Doug Ford says jets are coming to Billy Bishop airport ‘one way or another’

Ontario premier said the federal government had endorsed the plan that would see longer-haul jets at the Toronto Islands airport.

www.thestar.com

 

[Admiral Beez]

And to think we have another 3 years of this clown show.

More like seven. It goes to show how useless Stiles and the NDP are, that we have a corrupt premier and still they can’t unseat him. Ford is premier for life until he retires or the OLP can return.

 

[MisterF]

A white elephant in the making after Alto opens.

 

[innsertnamehere]

We truly have an imbecile of a premier. Why in the hell is this such a priority for him?

And to think we have another 3 years of this clown show.

Maybe the RCMP should investigate who's getting the potential kickbacks from this while they are at it, since they are taking their sweet time with the Greenbelt investigation.

they are taking their time as the overwhelming likelyhood is that the greenbelt scandal can truly be attributed to incompetent ministerial staff and that there is nothing for them to investigate. Hanlon's razor and all that.. I mean is it really that hard to envision incompetence in Ford's government?

I suspect the same here. Ford is looking for "nation building" projects to fit the Feds framework.. airport expansions align with that, and he's got the power to push this one through this time. I don't see a need for him to be getting kickbacks to think that this is a good idea.. especially since it was so prominent of an issue during his time as a councillor and that he is already well familiar with it.

 

[ear2ear]

Agreed. And I'd say there's a lot of support or at least apathy among Torontonians for jets this time around. I live in downtown east (about 1.5 km from the water) and before Trump I often used Billy Bishop to fly to the USA. I will do so again in 2029 presuming the political climate has improved. As a downtown resident and frequent Harbourfront visitor, I don't mind jets and I'd probably cycle down to watch them land and takeoff.

They allow small jets to land at London City Airport (1,508 m runway vs 1,216 m at YTO), where it is surrounded by housing, recreational boating and parkland and the city hasn't gone full panic.

And it's best to do the airport expansion now before we design and build housing at the new Portlands. We can now keep the towers below the flightpath and any potential residents will be fully aware of airplane noise before they commit to buying or renting in the Portlands. Not that it doesn't stop people who buy near Pearson from claiming surprise and annoyance when airplanes fly overhead.

This hardly looks like a disruption of the harbour either.

To each their own, but another Downtown East resident and frequent flyer (me) feels that the UP Express and Porter jets flying out of T3 is a superior solution that trying to get in and out of the foot of Bathurst. I don't like this idea one bit.

 

[taal]

Sorry maybe a silly question - why does he need to take it over ? Who's opposed to jet's and a runway extension (let's put aside local residents for the time being) ? I thought Toronto was considering and so was the airport itself ?

Selfishly I similarly think it's a great idea ... and really modern jet's are not as loud anyway. The runway extension in of itself is likely the most impact.

 

[rbt]

Agreed. And I'd say there's a lot of support or at least apathy among Torontonians for jets this time around. I live in downtown east (about 1.5 km from the water) and before Trump I often used Billy Bishop to fly to the USA. I will do so again in 2029 presuming the political climate has improved. As a downtown resident and frequent Harbourfront visitor, I don't mind jets and I'd probably cycle down to watch them land and takeoff.

Ironically, allowing Jets at YTZ may constrain capacity for Porter as I expect 80 to 120 slots per day will be taken by business jets that currently go to Pearson [many used Buttonville before that]. That's about half of YTZs current capacity. It'll be interesting to see what other improvements are made in addition to runway length.

 

[Ward8]

I am one again asking the governement to level this thing and make proper use of our most valuble real estate.

Park? ew. Cultural institutions? Heck no. Housing? Over my dead body. Something accessible to the whole city? Good god. 4% of the city's air travel at an airport that is now harder to get to than Pearson? Now were making some sense.