TORONTO — The federal government has rejected Ontario’s push to expand Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to accommodate jets, dealing a major setback to Premier Doug Ford’s plans for the downtown waterfront facility.Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon issued a statement late Friday saying Ottawa’s focus “lies exclusively on the approved safety enhancements” required at the airport. Those upgrades — runway end safety areas extending 150 metres at each end of the main runway — are already underway and must be completed by mid-2027 under federal regulations.“We will not pursue any plans that infringe on treasured public spaces like Little Norway Park or Hanlan’s Point Beach, result in elevated noise, have significant environmental impacts, or hinder Toronto’s ability to build much-needed housing,” MacKinnon said. The decision followed a public consultation that drew more than 87,000 responses..Ford has long championed expanding the airport, which currently handles about two million passengers a year on aircraft operated by Porter Airlines and Air Canada. The premier argued jets would boost capacity to as many as 10 million passengers annually, create thousands of jobs, and generate up to $8.5 billion in yearly economic activity.In spring 2026 the Ontario government passed Bill 110, the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, allowing the province to assume the City of Toronto’s role in the long-standing tripartite agreement that governs the airport. That agreement involves the city, the federal government, and the Toronto Port Authority. The legislation also authorized the province to take control of certain city-owned lands near the airport and on the Toronto Islands, a move Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow labelled a “land grab.”Ontario had further signalled plans to designate the airport a special economic zone to streamline approvals and override certain municipal and provincial rules..Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria responded that the province will keep working to advance the expansion.“We look forward to continuing to work to advance the expansion of Billy Bishop Airport,” Sarkaria said. “As this work continues, we look forward to seeing and anticipate a plan that ensures the project protects public spaces, including the Toronto Islands, addresses potential noise and environmental impacts, expands and improves Little Norway Park, supports new housing opportunities in the area, and delivers lasting benefits for local communities.”The federal decision leaves the larger jet-capable expansion on hold for now, while the more limited safety-related runway work proceeds as planned. The clash highlights ongoing federal-provincial tensions over infrastructure in Canada’s largest city.
