City Council Kills Bid to Let Voters Weigh In on Billy Bishop
Council voted down a referendum question on Doug Ford's island airport expansion plan, denying residents a say on jets landing downtown.
Toronto City Council has shut the door on letting voters decide the future of Billy Bishop airport. In a 16-9 vote Thursday, councillors rejected a motion from Dianne Saxe and Josh Matlow that would have placed a referendum question on this October's municipal ballot, asking Torontonians whether the city should "support and cooperate" with Premier Doug Ford's plan to allow jets to land at the island airport.
The move marks a significant moment in an ongoing battle over the airport's expansion. Ford's government has been pushing aggressively to grow Billy Bishop into a regional hub, and the city has been pushing back—filing a legal challenge, accusing the province of a "land grab," and asking tough questions about economic claims and congestion impacts. The referendum would have given residents a direct voice on whether Toronto should back the plan.
Instead, city council has effectively taken that choice off the table. The defeated motion sought to crowbar public opinion into a decision that council itself will now have to navigate. Saxe and Matlow's push for a referendum had gained some traction among councillors concerned about democratic process, but the 16-9 split shows council is split—and the majority wasn't ready to defer to voters.
What happens next remains unclear. Ford's expansion plan is still moving forward at the provincial level, and the city's legal challenge is working its way through court. Either way, Toronto residents won't get a ballot box moment on this one.