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.
It's time for a serious talk about the future of the Billy Bishop Island Airport.
How do we have the conversation?
Join us on December 13 at 7 pm to hear public engagement expert Nicole Swerhun, Managing Principal of Third Party Public, lead us through key issues and critical process considerations.
Island Airport issues on our radar:
- New safety regulations that Billy Bishop must comply with.
- The 50-year lease expires in just a few years.
- And some say the land should be a park or used for a mix of non-aviation activities.
- Nicole Swerhun has facilitated many difficult public discussions about the Toronto Waterfront. We are excited to have her share
her thoughts on how we can, collectively, approach this big, difficult topic.
Latest posts
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.