Don’t miss Ken Greenberg’s opinion piece in the Toronto Star, July 8, 2026; if the Federal government delays quashing the BBTCA jets proposal, the resulting uncertainty will hurt the multi-billion Toronto Waterfront revitalization project because key investments won’t happen.
Passionate Torontonians throng airport RESA meeting
Hundreds came out to the City’s September 24 consultation on Runway End Safety Areas (RESAs) at the island airport on a rainy night. Federal regulations call for RESAS at the island airport, to be designed and built by July 2027 if the airport is to carry on. Ports Toronto says there are three options (RESA 1, 2 and 3) ranging in cost from $60 to almost $200 million, depending on how many taxiways, extra roads, tunnels etc are added. What if Ports Toronto can’t afford it? Maybe airport services would be consolidated at Pearson, which over 95% of Toronto air travellers already use anyway - served by the UP Express link. And you could have a park, housing or other cool stuff instead - which almost everyone at the meeting, it seems, would rather have.
- We have posted our Chair, Ed Hore's submission please click here to read it on our website
- You may also download a PDF of Chair Ed Hore’s submission by clicking here.
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Bob Rae talks with Steve Paikin on The Paikin Podcast about Billy Bishop Airport & other current issues. [Note: Bob Rae's remarks on Billy Bishop begin at the 24:10 min mark.] Click here to go to the video.
Recommending Sandford Borins' excellent blog post on the lessons for us today from the Pickering Airport debate and analysis in the 1970s:
In 1972, it was clearly understood that air traffic in Toronto was increasing, and it would be accommodated at either Pearson or Pickering. Both were seen as having a regional economic impact, in that Pearson would contribute to growth on the west side of Toronto, while establishing an airport at Pickering would shift some growth to the east of the city. Overall economic activity in the GTA would be the same whether Pearson was expanded or a new airport built at Pickering. This is different from the Toronto Port Authority and Ford Government refusing to acknowledge that, if Billy Bishop is not expanded, traffic will be accommodated at Pearson, and overall economic activity will be the same.