TORONTO — Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria has accused the federal government of bowing to a “small fringe group” in Toronto by rejecting the province’s plan to expand Billy Bishop Airport for commercial jets, while confirming Queen’s Park has “no intention” of repealing the legislation that seized city-owned waterfront land.Speaking Tuesday in St. Thomas, Sarkaria said the province remains committed to modernizing the island airport despite the federal decision announced Friday by Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon. That decision followed a public consultation that drew more than 87,000 responses, with roughly 87 per cent opposing jet service.“We’ve seen the federal government here listen to a small fringe group in Toronto,” Sarkaria said. “But we as the province will continue to push forward on modernization of this airport.”He added a broader warning aimed at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government: “If this is how they’re going to treat bigger projects, I don’t think you’ll get much built.”.Sarkaria also made clear the province will not reverse Bill 110, the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act. The legislation, passed earlier this year, gave Ontario the power to expropriate city-owned parcels — including Little Norway Park and portions of the Toronto Islands — and removed the City of Toronto from the long-standing tripartite agreement governing the airport.“We have no intention to repeal,” he said. The province, he added, fully supports the modernization plan being developed by the Toronto Port Authority and continues to urge Ottawa to reconsider.The comments come as a new rift emerges between the two governments. According to a CBC News report published Tuesday, sources familiar with the discussions say Ontario is now rethinking its support for the federal Alto high-speed rail project linking Toronto and Quebec City. The province had previously signed a partnership agreement with Ottawa to collaborate on the planning and advancement of Alto..Several hours after Sarkaria’s remarks, 11 Progressive Conservative MPPs — including Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn and Labour Minister David Piccini — released a statement raising concerns about the rail line. The group, largely from eastern Ontario ridings, said “too many questions remain unanswered” and that local voices had been ignored on issues such as farmland impacts and route selection.Responding Wednesday morning to the MPPs’ statement, federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon struck a defiant tone on the rail project.“I’m very confident as we move on — not that there won’t be controversy, not that there won’t be concerns, of course — but that this is a project that makes Canadians dream, that will improve their life,” MacKinnon said..Sarkaria has pointed to support from northern Ontario communities, hospital CEOs, and eastern Ontario mayors who see improved connectivity as a benefit. Provincial officials have estimated the expansion could contribute up to $8.5 billion annually to the Canadian economy.The federal rejection limits the province’s options. While Ontario controls the land and its seat in the tripartite agreement, any runway extension beyond the already-approved safety upgrades requires federal approval. Those safety upgrades — 150-metre extensions at each end of the existing runway — remain on track for completion by mid-2027.The dispute underscores growing federal-provincial tensions over major infrastructure. For Western Canadian readers, the episode highlights the risks of centralized decision-making in Ottawa that can override provincial priorities, even when those priorities involve economic development and inter-regional connectivity.Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles called Sarkaria’s “fringe group” remark a “pathetic insult” to the tens of thousands who opposed the project and urged the province to scrap Bill 110.
