Dedicated activists came together to protect 210 acres of land that includes a vibrant waterfront and a public park. Will this be the last time that Doug Ford tries to bring jets to the Island Airport?

Communities in Toronto celebrated a rare victory on July 24: the federal government announced, late on a Friday afternoon, that jets at the Island Airport were off the table “at this time”.

The decision followed several tumultuous months following Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s announcement that he would expand the small Island Airport for use by jets, projecting 10M passengers per year.

Toronto citizens quickly realized this was another of Ford’s not-thought-out moves, like musing about tunnelling 50 kilometers under Highway 401, destroying Ontario Place for a European spa, and shuttering the Ontario Science Centre because the roof leaked.

Ford then went even further, passing a law that gave ownership to the province of not just the City’s portion of the airport lands, but most of Toronto Island, and all of Little Norway Park, that abuts the airport – presumably for parking and access, as there is only a two lane road to the airport ferry and pedestrian tunnel, and limited parking– wildly inadequate for an airport handling Ford’s proposed 10 million passengers a year.

But Ford had no plan, and neither did the airport operator, Toronto Port Authority (TPA).

Once it became clear that there was no plan, and that Ford had no idea of the impact an expanded airport, public opinion turned solidly to oppose jets.

It was a one-sided debate – no one spoke up for the jets proposal. The Toronto Star tried and failed to find anyone willing to debate an opponent of jets.

Many activists who had worked to defeat a bridge to the airport 20 years ago, and to defeat an earlier attempt to introduce jets, 10 years ago, were still around, and dusted off the old (and still very valid) arguments. NoJetsTO, the grassroots campaign that had defeated jets before, was reactivated, led again by the indefatigable Norm di Pasquale, and this time round, Environmental Defence backed the campaign with its ample resources.

The focus quickly shifted to Toronto’s 23 Liberal MPs – as the TPA is a federal agency, and there is no way for Ford to succeed with his jets proposal without the agreement of the federal government. Clearly on a short leash, they appeared ill-informed, and uncertain.

Popular TVO host Steve Paikin opined:

What do the (Toronto Liberal MPs) have to say about Ford’s plans to expand the airport? At the moment, crickets. The most we’ve gotten is boilerplate

And Toronto Star columnist Matt Elliott was blunt about Ford’s “plan”:

“To call it half-baked would be an insult to baked goods.

In a futile effort to cool things off, they announced a consultation – an online poll. It was roundly criticized for bias, asking how the impact of jets could be reduced, but not whether jets should be allowed.

The poll backfired mightily – an astounding 87,000 responses were 87 per cent opposed to jets. Prime Minister Mark Carney, facing a critical by-election in an eastern waterfront riding in Toronto with rumours that former City councilor (and Jack Layton’s son) Mike Layton was considering running (he later opted not to), had no choice: no jets, his Transport Minister said on July 24.

“We will not pursue any plans that infringe treasured public spaces like Little Norway Park or Hanlon’s Point Beach, result in elevated noise, have significant environmental impacts, or hinder Toronto’s ability to build much-needed housing,” Minister Steve MacKinnon said in a statement.

Ontario’s NDP caucus, and especially MPPs Kristyn Wong-Tam and Chris Glover, worked closely with community groups to amplify and expand the fight, in a great example of how effective a close working relationship between progressive politicians and community groups can be.

Where did the idea of expanding the Island airport come from?

It is clear that the airport’s terminal owner, Nieuport Aviation (owned by the US financier JP Morgan) is struggling. It paid “well over” $700 million for the terminal, built by Porter Airlines for ~$50 million. By allowing Porter to build, and then sell the terminal for that enormous sum, the TPA had privatized a key component of what has been publicly owned – the valuable 210 acres of waterfront land the Airport currently uses.

Why is Nieuport struggling?

It based the price it paid on rosy predictions from Porter of growing future business at the airport. Instead, Island airport passenger numbers have plummeted as Torontonians increasingly choose Pearson Airport because it has a better selection of flights, and, with the introduction of the Union-Pearson Express train, it is as accessible for downtowners.

In what seems the only way to recoup that huge investment, Nieuport saw jets as its savior, and began intensely lobbying Ford, Carney and Toronto’s mayor Olivia Chow. It found fertile ground with Ford.

And, as it turned out, with Carney – the Toronto Star revealed that Carney and Ford had agreed back in March that Ford would support Alto, the proposed high-speed rail between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal (that would attract many Island airport users, as similar trains in Europe have) in return for Carney supporting jets. Carney clearly did not consult with his Toronto caucus before that handshake, and utterly failed to appreciate the affection Torontonians have for their waterfront.

This is not the first time the federal Liberals have had to back down and accept the wishes of aroused Toronto communities.

Twice before, in 2003 when the TPA proposed to build a bridge to the airport (necessary, they said at the time, for safety) and in 2013 when Porter Airlines proposed jets (said Porter to City Council “We require the City of Toronto’s approval in July 2013”), community groups rallied to pressure Toronto’s 34 Liberal MPs to say no.

And they did.

With their third defeat, will airport supporters finally give up, and accept that an airport doesn’t belong in the midst of a vital and vibrant waterfront, and support the conversion of its prime 210 acres to a new and spectacular park?

Brian Iler is a Toronto lawyer and co-founder of NoJetsTO and Parks not Planes, and a director of Waterfront for All.

Filed in: Environment