Mayor Olivia Chow is urging Torontonians to “make some noise” and fight against Premier Doug Ford‘s island airport expansion plan, a day after the Ontario government tabled legislation that would allow the province to seize city land near the facility.
At a press conference Friday morning at Little Norway Park, Chow warned that the province wants to “pave” the waterfront green space, and residents shouldn’t stand for it.
“To the provincial government: you do not get to erase this park without a fight,” Chow said, flanked by local residents.
“And to the people standing here, and to every Torontonian, we need your voice. Talk to your neighbours. Make some noise. This park belongs to you, and we are going to keep it that way.”
To rally opposition to Ford’s plan, Chow’s office has started a petition to tell the province “Hands off our land.”
Province’s expansion plans unclear
The Conservative government has yet to introduce detailed plans for the airport expansion, and says it is only eyeing one-third of Little Norway Park on the Eireann Quay side, along the route into Billy Bishop.
However, Chow insisted it “doesn’t take a big stretch of imagination” to conclude the entire park is at risk. “They want to expand the airport, they want to park the cars somewhere,” she said.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria reiterated that Little Norway Park “will remain a park.”
Meanwhile, the Toronto Port Authority, the agency that owns and operates the airport, said it will work with the city and others to “ensure equal or greater overall park space for Little Norway Park.”
The legislation Ford’s government introduced Thursday would have the province replace the city in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport, and enable Queen’s Park to take over nearby land to facilitate a runway expansion that would allow jets to operate at Billy Bishop.
Sarkaria says the province’s aim is to “unlock” the airport’s “full potential and support its long-term modernization.” The province argues the expansion will help meet future travel demand in southern Ontario, take pressure off Pearson airport and increase competition, leading to more routes and cheaper flights. It would also create thousands of jobs in the aviation, tourism and construction sectors, according to Queen’s Park.
Province’s need for land being assessed
The province says it is “carefully assessing” city-owned properties required for the expansion, and “any decisions on land requirements will be informed” by a due diligence process it’s undertaking with the port authority, Transport Canada and the city. It’s promising “fair compensation” for any expropriation.
While the province has said it is focused on taking only the land needed for the airport expansion, the proposed legislation would grant it powers over a swathe of land. That parcel would capture most of the Toronto Islands, including the city’s portion of the airport land.
The wording is similar to the provincial legislation that gave Queen’s Park control of land near Exhibition Place as it redeveloped neighbouring Ontario Place. The Building Billy Bishop Act says the identified land parcels would become “vested in the Crown” and fall “under the Minister’s control,” giving the province the right to take any part of these parcels through regulations.
Each land parcel listed in the legislation is identified by a Property Identification Number (PIN).
“We will work with the city to divide the relevant PINs to narrow the land required to only what’s needed as quickly as possible,” said Dakota Brasier, spokesperson for Sarkaria, in a statement.
Local NDP MPP Chris Glover warned in an interview Friday that the legislation could make it easier for Ford’s government to seize city-owned land on the Toronto Islands beyond the airport in the future, pointing to Ford floating the idea for a new convention centre at Exhibition Place.
“Once he has the powers, he can do whatever he wants,” Glover said. “He will always say things to minimize … but in the end, look at his actions.”
Shirven Rezvany, a spokesperson for the mayor said the city is in a “period of uncertainty” about what land the province will seize from Toronto.
“Our understanding is that the legislation gives the province the power to take land or make changes to any part of the Toronto islands, and though they have signalled they are only concerned with island land used by the airport, they have not released any formal plan or proposal,” he said. “The mayor opposes any unilateral land grab.”
Deborah Wilson, the vice-president of communications for the Toronto Port Authority, said Friday that it will not be “advancing a plan to reduce overall island space.”
Shortly after the bill was tabled Thursday, council passed a series of motions opposing the legislation, including exploring legal action, notifying residents who may be affected, and asking the province to apologize to anyone living within 500 metres of the expropriation area and to compensate them if they choose to move. Council also asked the federal government, which is a signatory to the airport agreement, to intervene.
In a statement Friday evening, Spadina-Harbourfront Liberal MP Chi Nguyen said she does not support the expropriation of Little Norway Park.
“Any decision that could permanently alter it must be approached with transparency,” she said.
“I encourage the Mayor to continue discussions with the Province and not jump to conversations about compensation at this early stage. This is not how to ensure our residents get the best possible solution.”
with files from Mahdis Habibinia
