Mayor says port authority hiding Billy Bishop expansion plans
Chow refused to sign NDA on multibillion-dollar airport project; Ontario and Ottawa have already seen details.
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Mayor Olivia Chow says Toronto is being kept in the dark on Billy Bishop Airport expansion plans, while the Toronto Port Authority shares information with other levels of government.
When Chow and her staff met with port authority officials earlier this month, they were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements—which they refused. At a Queen's Park committee meeting in May, the authority's president and CEO Roelof-Jan Steenstra said Ontario has already reviewed early plans and Ottawa has seen some details.
"I don't understand what the Toronto Port Authority has to hide," Chow said Tuesday. "I know there's a consultant report. Make it public."
The expansion is pegged at $4 to $5 billion. After meeting with the authority, Chow raised concerns about the price tag, saying she hasn't seen revenue projections to support the spend.
Chow has long opposed jets flying from the waterfront. City staff recently shared analysis showing about 86,000 housing units already in the airport's current flight paths could be affected. If the expansion proceeds, that number rises to roughly 94,000 units. Forced design changes—windows that don't open, no balconies, rooftop restrictions—could make some planned developments unviable.
The port authority, a federal agency, is one of three signatories to the agreement governing the airport, along with the federal government and Queen's Park, which recently took Toronto's place in that role.