Olivia Chow's momentum a threat to Billy Bishop Airport

Is Ms. Chow still committed to closing Billy Bishop?

There was a time — 20 years ago, in fact — that the way to get elected Mayor of Toronto was to oppose the construction of a bridge to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (BBTCA), an airport that’s been in constant operation since 1939.

The 2003 municipal election saw Left Wing candidate David Miller ride to victory by frightening enough voters into believing that Toronto City Council was going to turn the Toronto Islands into an industrial park of sorts, merely because it had approved (on three different occasions) the construction of a swing bridge between the mainland and the Toronto City Centre Airport (as it was then called).

Given the long list of challenges facing Canada’s largest city at the moment, the fact that BBTCA isn’t a political issue speaks to just how successful the airport has been since Porter Airlines and Air Canada returned to the site many years ago. Last time I checked, 90% of Torontonians saw the airport as an asset, which is remarkably high, given how much energy Mr. Miller, and his political allies Olivia Chow and Adam Vaughan, have put into demonizing BBTCA and its owner, Ports Toronto, over the years. Ms. Chow even opposed the construction of the underwater pedestrian tunnel, despite the fact that not a single taxpayer dollar went into its construction.

With Olivia Chow appearing to be leading in the race to replace former Mayor John Tory, voters deserve to know where she stands: is she still in favour of closing BBTCA? What’s her position on the renewal of the existing BBTCA runway lease in 2033, which requires the approval of both Toronto City Council and the Federal government when the time comes? In the event she wins, will she commit now to extending the lease, for another 25 years, say, so that its owner, terminal operator and airlines can continue to invest? If not, why not?

What’s Ms. Chow’s plan for the 1,000 direct employees associated with BBTCA airlines / operations in the event she does try to close the airport?

(Butcher, London, 1951 by Irving Penn)

If elected Mayor, will she attempt to use the “Strong Mayor” powers to turn the BBTCA into convenient, affordable housing, under the pretext that this is what Toronto voters want? The argument will definitely appeal to her longstanding political allies at CommunityAir.

I had a look through Ms. Chow’s online campaign platform, and there’s no mention of her current position on the airport. You have to wonder why, given her long-standing opposition to its existence. If she’s now a supporter, why not highlight that change, as others have done?

It’s time the front-runner came clean on where she stands, on both the Billy Bishop and 2033.

MRM

(this post, like all blogs, is an Opinion Piece)