Premier Doug Ford says his government plans to give Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport special designation that would allow the province to bypass municip
Premier Doug Ford says his government plans to give Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport special designation that would allow the province to bypass municipal and provincial laws as it pushes to expand the runway downtown.
Ford said earlier this month his government plans to take over the City of Toronto’s stake in the island airport in order to build infrastructure that would allow jets to fly in and out — despite concerns over noise and environmental impacts.
At a news conference at Billy Bishop Monday, he told reporters that his government would soon introduce legislation for the takeover, using a controversial new law known as Bill 5 to designate the airport the first “special economic zone” in Ontario.
The law, passed last year, lets cabinet exempt companies or projects from having to comply with any provincial law, provincial regulation or municipal bylaw.
Ford had previously said he intended to designate the Ring of Fire as one of those zones to push mining development in the mineral-rich region. It drew pushback from First Nations communities in the area, and Ford said this month the province is no longer looking to use Bill 5 there.
Billy Bishop Airport is currently governed by an agreement between the City of Toronto, Transport Canada, and Toronto Port Authority. The city owns about 20 per cent of the land where the airport sits, according to the city’s website.
COMMENTS