A prominent list of 28 Torontonians has co-signed a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Toronto-area MPs calling for a halt to planned changes at the island airport until residents are properly consulted.
The letter, signed by prominent author Margaret Atwood, former Premier Bob Rae, former Mayors David Crombie and Art Eggleton, and former Waterfront Toronto CEO John Campbell, also calls on the Ford government to honour the tripartite agreement which governs the land at the airport.
“We call on your government to ensure that no changes occur on the lands of the island airport nor any change in the Tripartite Agreement governing the airport lands until Torontonians are properly consulted on a detailed evidence-based long-term plan that will be publicly and fully debated, addressing the many essential unanswered questions being raised,” the letter reads.
“Before any final decision is made to permanently reshape the Inner Harbour, the people of Toronto need answers.”
An executive summary and report, prepared as part of a new campaign, points out the many unanswered questions and concerns surrounding the environmental, social and economic implications to the waterfront if changes are made.
The federal government has launched a public consultations to get feedback on the expansion of Billy Bishop airport. It runs until July 24 and includes an online survey and engagement sessions.
The Ford government passed legislation last month that allows it to take over all the land on the Toronto Islands where Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is located after designating it a special economic zone.
The province has said it will not take over the entirety of the Toronto Islands despite the language in the legislation, and will work with the city to only use the land needed to make the airport bigger in order to allow jets to take off and land there.
The new law also allows the province to take Toronto’s spot in a tripartite agreement, an accord that is currently between the city, the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority.