The gloves are coming off as Toronto mayor Olivia Chow attempts to rally Torontonians to combat the Doug Ford government’s plans to take over and expand Billy Bishop Airport.
On Thursday, the Province introduced the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026, which looks to further develop the airport by extending the runway to allow jets to operate from the island facility.
If passed, the province will take over the City of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement between the City, Toronto Port Authority and the federal government that governs the airport. It will also expropriate city-owned lands at the airport, which includes one-third of Little Norway Park alongside Eireann Quay.
The 2.4 hectare park at Bathurst Street and Queens Quay West was established in 1986 and its name commemorates the World War II training base, used by the Norwegian Air Force, that once used the site.
Along with the park, the Province has listed seven other properties near the airport slated to be expropriated, but Chow is zeroing in on the greenspace as the battleground for the City’s fight against what she calls a “power grab” by the Province.
“We will not stand for it,” she said while speaking to media at the park on Friday morning, surrounded by local residents supporting the cause.
“This is not an empty piece of land. This park is alive, it is loved, it belongs to this community. And the Province wants to pave it into a parking lot. Let that sink in,” she added, followed by chants of “shame” from the gathered residents.
“To the provincial government: you do not get to erase this park without a fight. And to the people standing here and to every Torontonian, we need your voice – talk to your neighbours, make some noise. This park belongs to you and we are going to keep it that way.”
Chow called on the Province to withdraw the bill or at the very least, amend it.
“Just take it out from legislation and withdraw it,” she said.
“Hey, they could amend the legislation and exclude this beautiful park. Go ahead, I will be very grateful if they do that.”
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Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria told reporters on Thursday that the Province is working with the City on the plans.
“We have a collaborative relationship with the city. Our position on this has been that we want to move it forward – we’re going to take this airport,” he said, citing the importance of securing “this asset for the long term.”
“[It is] really important to see the modernization of it, to see more investment into that airport. So our position is we’re going to continue to engage with the City but we’re going to take over Billy Bishop, expand it, get more flights coming into it and giving passengers more options.”
Chow maintains that neither City staff nor residents have been made privy to any plans for the expansion. She also pointed out that the federal government hasn’t signed off on it yet either
“Show us the plan. What is the plan? Has anyone been consulted? No. Does the federal government know what’s going on? I doubt it. Certainly the City of Toronto, we have not been consulted, the people here has not been consulted, no one has seen a concrete plan … who knows precisely what is happening?” said Chow.
“One thing we do know is that they want to expropriate this park and erase it – that is what we will not stand for.”
However, Sarkaria told CityNews on Friday that the park will not be paved over as Chow believes.
“[Little] Norway Park is going to continue to be there and it’s going to operate as a park. What happens in the process of expropriation is that we’ve identified some PINs and locations that will be necessary for the modernization of the airport. Once we move forward, conduct surveys, we’ll have greater certainty on it, but I know for sure that Norway Park will continue to remain as we expand the airport and modernize the runway,” he said.
“This is too important of a project to be caught up in this manner- we’ve got billions of dollars of investments that will come, it’s going to support air travel for millions of passengers across Ontario.”
Sarkaria added that in the coming months, surveys will be conducted and if it is determined that some parcels of land listed in the legislation are not needed, they will be released.
He also said that part of the reason the Province is stepping in and taking over Billy Bishop Airport is because the City has failed to provide certainty for its future, citing the 2024 extension of the lease for 12 years – a term he feels is too short. In addition he says in the past, the City has expressed the desire to remove the airport entirely and replace it with a park and “to us that was unacceptable.”
“[We need to] give it the long term vision that it needs, to give it the long term confidence for investors that it needs,” he said.
“Billy Bishop is a key asset for this province for this country and we need to move forward and give it certainty and longevity.”
Meanwhile City Council voted in favour of Chow’s motion to call on the federal government to step in and clarify their position on the Province’s plans as well as move forward with any legal recourse that might be available.
There has been no word from Ottawa regarding their stance on the Province’s plans for the future of Billy Bishop Airport.