Ford to Declare Billy Bishop Airport a Special Economic Zone to Allow Jets, Seize Toronto Land

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has unveiled a sweeping plan to expand Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, confirming that his government will introduce legislation to take over the City of Toronto’s role in the airport’s governing agreement, seize city-owned airport lands with compensation, extend the runway to allow larger jets, upgrade the terminal, and improve access to Toronto’s waterfront.

The proposal marks one of the most aggressive interventions by the province in Toronto infrastructure in recent years. Ford also said the province intends to declare Billy Bishop Airport a “special economic zone,” a move that would speed up approvals for the expansion project by streamlining provincial and municipal processes while, according to the government, still maintaining safety and environmental protections.

The announcement immediately reignited a long-running fight over jets at Billy Bishop, an issue that has divided Queen’s Park, Toronto City Hall, airport operators, and waterfront community groups for more than two decades.

Province to Replace Toronto in Airport Agreement

At the core of Ford’s plan is a legislative move that would remove the City of Toronto from the tripartite agreement that governs Billy Bishop Airport and replace the city with the province. That agreement, originally signed in 1983, currently includes three parties: the Toronto Port Authority, which owns roughly 78 per cent of the land; the City of Toronto, which owns around 20 per cent; and the Government of Canada, which owns about two per cent.

Ford said Ontario will move to take ownership of the city-owned lands at the airport in exchange for what the province described as fair compensation. The province says the legislation will be introduced during the legislature’s upcoming spring session. If passed, Ontario would effectively step into the city’s place in the long-standing agreement and gain the authority needed to advance a much larger airport expansion plan.

This is a major shift because the city has long been one of the key obstacles to jet expansion at Billy Bishop. Mayor Olivia Chow and City Hall have opposed the push for larger jets, while the Ford government has increasingly framed the airport as a strategic economic asset that should be expanded despite municipal resistance.

Why Ford Wants ‘Special Economic Zone’ Status

Beyond taking over city land, Ford said the province also intends to designate Billy Bishop Airport as a “special economic zone.” The designation would be made under the controversial authority created through Bill 5, legislation passed last year that allows the province to suspend certain provincial and municipal laws for designated projects.

According to the government, the special economic zone designation would be applied ahead of the start of construction and after consultation with impacted First Nations. The province says the goal is to accelerate construction timelines by cutting through approvals that could otherwise delay the airport project.

Critics, however, have described the special economic zone framework as an antidemocratic overreach, warning that it gives Queen’s Park extraordinary power to bypass normal checks, local approvals, and environmental processes. The Bill 5 provisions have already been controversial because they were designed to fast-track major projects, and Ford is now moving to use those powers on one of Toronto’s most politically sensitive infrastructure battles.

Runway Extension Would Open Door to Jets

The expansion plan is focused on creating the physical conditions needed for jets to operate from Billy Bishop, which is currently used by turboprop aircraft such as those flown by Porter Airlines and Air Canada. Ford said the province wants to extend the runway to accommodate jet traffic, upgrade the terminal building, and improve access to the waterfront airport.

Jets would require a significantly larger runway extension at both ends, pushing further into Lake Ontario. That point has been one of the most controversial elements of past expansion debates because critics argue that runway extensions and infill work would affect the waterfront, public space, and surrounding environment.

The city recently agreed to extend the airport deal to 2045 and add safety buffer zones to the runways, as required by Transport Canada, to allow the current turboprop fleet to continue using the airport. But Ford’s latest plan goes much further than that and is aimed specifically at enabling larger jet aircraft rather than preserving the status quo.

Ford Says Expansion Is Needed for Economic Growth

Ford presented the airport expansion as a growth and competitiveness issue, arguing that Billy Bishop should play a larger role in supporting Toronto’s economy. He said expanding the airport would help Toronto compete with major global cities such as London, Chicago, New York, and Paris, all of which have at least two major airports.

The Premier has also argued that Billy Bishop’s downtown location makes it uniquely valuable for business travel, tourism, and broader economic activity. In his view, a larger airport with jet service would strengthen Toronto’s transportation network and make the city more competitive with other global urban centres.

Ford has previously said his government’s internal polling shows that roughly 70 per cent of people living downtown now support such an expansion, a point he has used to counter the long-standing narrative that the airport’s surrounding communities overwhelmingly oppose any move toward jets.

Opposition Mounts From City Hall and Community Groups

Despite the province’s economic case, the proposal is facing immediate criticism. Opposition to larger jets at Billy Bishop has existed for years among waterfront residents, advocacy groups, and municipal leaders who argue that the project would increase noise, disrupt the islands and waterfront, and undermine public access to one of Toronto’s most sensitive urban areas.

NoJetsTO issued a statement calling on the Ford government to abandon the plan and allow Torontonians to have their say on the future of the airport. The group also said it would closely monitor the legality of any proposed legislation designed to remove the City of Toronto from the tripartite agreement.

Opponents argue that this is not simply an aviation issue. For them, the fight is also about local democracy, environmental oversight, and whether Queen’s Park should be allowed to override Toronto’s elected municipal government in order to deliver a politically contentious infrastructure project.

Airport Owners Support the Move

While critics have pushed back, the owners of the island airport have previously said they fully support the province’s intention to modernize and expand Billy Bishop Airport. That support is important because airport stakeholders have long argued that the facility has untapped economic potential and could handle more passenger demand if expanded.

The province’s alignment with airport operators gives the project momentum, especially as Ford’s government appears prepared to use both legislative power and special economic zone authority to overcome resistance from the city.

Federal Role Still Cannot Be Ignored

Even with Ontario taking a more aggressive role, the federal government remains central to the airport’s future. The special economic zone designation would not override federal laws, and the airport still operates within a framework that includes federal involvement through the tripartite agreement and transportation regulation.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon has said Ottawa was considering the project to allow jets. Ford also told reporters that he had the support of the federal government for his plans, although no minister from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government attended the announcement event at the airport.

That means Ontario can move aggressively on land control and provincial approvals, but federal decisions will still matter before jets can become a reality at Billy Bishop.

Environmental Concerns Remain a Flashpoint

The environmental dimension of the project is expected to become one of the biggest pressure points in the coming months. Extending the runway into Lake Ontario would likely involve fill and major construction work, prompting concerns about impacts on the lake, shoreline, parks, beaches, and nearby island spaces.

When asked about environmental concerns, Ford said the government would take them into account but would not “dilly-dally” on accelerating the port authority’s expansion plans. He dismissed the scale of the concern by remarking that Lake Ontario is “a pretty big lake,” a comment likely to draw even more criticism from opponents who see the project as dismissive of legitimate waterfront and ecological concerns.

The province, for its part, insists that safety and environmental protections will remain robust even as approvals are streamlined through the special economic zone process.

What Happens Next

The next step is the introduction of legislation during the spring session at Queen’s Park. If passed, Ontario would take ownership of the city-owned lands at Billy Bishop, replace Toronto in the tripartite agreement, and clear a major political barrier to runway expansion and jet service.

From there, the province intends to move toward construction planning, First Nations consultation, and the implementation of the special economic zone designation to speed up the project. But political opposition, possible legal challenges, municipal resistance, public criticism, and federal oversight are all likely to shape how quickly the plan moves forward.

For now, Ford’s announcement has transformed Billy Bishop from a recurring airport policy debate into a full-scale jurisdictional and political battle. The issue now stretches far beyond planes and runways. It touches on provincial power, city control, environmental protection, waterfront identity, and the future of downtown Toronto itself.

Whether the province succeeds or not, one thing is clear: the fight over Billy Bishop Airport has entered a much more serious phase, and Ford is prepared to use extraordinary tools to get the expansion done.

Read the official Ontario government announcement here: Ontario Expanding Billy Bishop Airport.

Additional reporting on Ford’s special economic zone plan and the legal-political implications was also covered by The Globe and Mail.

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