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Toronto Pearson has launched a $1.5-billion overhaul of Terminals 1 and 3, the second major component of its Pearson LIFT (Long-term Investment in Facilities and Terminals) infrastructure program. UrbanToronto attended today’s announcement at Terminal 1, where the Greater Toronto Airports Authority named NORR-DIALOG, a joint venture of two Ontario-incorporated firms, as planning and design lead, with Canadian-headquartered PCL Construction serving as Construction Manager at Risk. The phased project will renew aging infrastructure and reshape the passenger journey while Canada’s busiest airport remains open.
Karen Mazurkewich, Pearson’s Vice President of Stakeholder Relations and Communications, hosted the event. President and CEO Deborah Flint led the remarks, followed by Secretary of State and Brampton North–Caledon MP Ruby Sahota; Mississauga–Erin Mills MP Iqra Khalid; Ontario Associate Minister of Small Business and Mississauga–Streetsville MPP Nina Tangri; and Mississauga Deputy Mayor John Kovac. The project team was represented by PCL Vice President and District Manager Monique Buckberger, DIALOG partner Jim Anderson, and NORR Architects Vice President of Transportation Mark Boone.
Pearson LIFT is, according to Flint, the largest infrastructure program ever undertaken at a Canadian airport. Following years of planning and consultation, the terminal overhaul becomes its second major project after the May, 2026 groundbreaking for a separate $3-billion renewal of Pearson’s airfield and baggage systems.
The program aims to make the terminals more dependable and ready for rising passenger volumes. Renewed infrastructure, upgraded digital systems, added operating capacity, expanded spaces, and reworked processing areas are intended to improve movement for arriving and departing travellers.
“This particular program is about reliability, digital enablement, and capacity at Pearson, providing more space, ease, and fluid movement for passengers,” Flint said.
Passenger-facing plans include larger terminal and check-in areas, upgraded security screening and processing, refreshed lounges, more charging stations, improved customs and immigration facilities, expanded retail and dining, new digital services, and better connections to parking and ground transportation.
Less-visible work will upgrade digital and static wayfinding, baggage processing, check-in technology, and building and operating systems behind the public areas. Energy-efficiency improvements include 45,000 new LED lights across the complex.
“I often notice in many airports that the signs are there for people who already know where they’re going, and so we’re going to make sure that’s not the case here at Pearson,” Flint said. “There’s a lot of work that’s going to go on behind the walls, underneath the floors, and inside operating systems that many passengers won’t ever see.”
The team was selected through a competitive procurement process launched in 2025, with bidders assessed on technical capability and their use of Canadian labour, suppliers, materials, equipment, and services. NORR-DIALOG will handle planning, architecture, engineering, and integrated design, while PCL will manage construction. All three firms have Canadian roots and previous Pearson experience. NORR’s history at the airport extends to John B. Parkin Associates, designer of the original Terminal 1, which opened in 1964.
Construction will be carefully sequenced to keep passenger routes, airline activities, and essential systems safe and functional at an airport that never closes. Buckberger said PCL would coordinate closely with Pearson, NORR-DIALOG, and other airport partners.
“The renovation program will be delivered in a live, 24/7 operating airport environment, where maintaining safe and uninterrupted operations for passengers, airlines, and airport partners is critical,” Buckberger said. “Our focus will be on executing carefully phased construction that keeps the airport operating efficiently while minimizing impacts for passengers and the broader airport community.”
Anderson described Pearson as a setting for reunions, departures, business trips, and homecomings. Its new spaces are intended to serve travellers of different ages and abilities while projecting a welcoming, inclusive, and recognizably Canadian identity.
“As the design comes to life, you’ll see bright, modern spaces that are intuitive and accessible — spaces that reduce stress and increase comfort,” Anderson said. “This human-centred approach to design is intended to free travellers to spend less time thinking about the mechanics of travel and more time experiencing the joy of travel.”
NORR’s recent work at Pearson includes multiple renovations to the current Terminal 1 since its 2004 opening. Boone said NORR-DIALOG would combine that experience with technology-enabled design and expertise in phased aviation projects.
“We believe that the revitalization is an opportunity to create a new standard for the passenger journey at Pearson,” Boone said. “Every design decision will be guided by the goal of making travel more intuitive, welcoming, and efficient.”
More than 47 million passengers used Pearson last year. The revitalization is expected to accommodate up to seven million additional annual travellers by 2031 and support a longer-term capacity of 65 million. Pearson projects airport employment will rise from roughly 52,000 to 68,000 jobs, adding 16,000 positions over the coming decade. That growth is forecast to generate another $9 billion in GDP and raise Pearson’s annual contribution to the Canadian economy to about $30 billion.
Sahota emphasized Pearson’s importance to national trade, cargo, security, and Peel’s logistics economy, while Khalid linked the announcement to earlier federal support for runway, check-in, border-processing, and transit-planning projects. Tangri highlighted Pearson’s role in Ontario’s tourism and global competitiveness. Kovac noted its support for Mississauga’s industrial and service sectors, its ability to attract investment, and its employment of about 7,700 city residents.
No construction schedule or completion date was announced. “This program is about more than upgrading terminals,” Boone said. “It’s about helping Pearson prepare for future demand with infrastructure that is more efficient, resilient, and adaptable.” Flint summarized the wider LIFT ambition as: “Better spaces, better systems, better journeys.”
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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