Waterkeeper submits formal comment on Toronto Island Airport Expansion

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is concerned that the current Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport expansion proposal is inconsistent with the needs and values of Torontonians and of municipal, provincial, and federal government policies.

Waterkeeper is also concerned that the decision-making process surrounding the proposed airport expansion has, to date, been marred by a lack of information, absence of independent scrutiny, and no impartial assessment of the airport’s compatibility with Toronto’s waterfront revitalization.

Waterkeeper submits that the City of Toronto’s approval for the proposed airport expansion should be postponed until all federal and provincial regulatory approvals processes have been completed. Only if the airport expansion can be proved to promote a healthy, viable waterfront community via a science-based, independent, and fulsome decision-making process should it be considered.

Waterkeeper recommends that the City of Toronto defer its decision to approve the airport expansion. Without environmental assessment, permits, proof that environmental harm will not occur, and adequate public consultation, the City’s permission is premature. The consequences of making a rushed decision are significant and potentially irreversible harm to public resources; those consequences outweigh any perceived private benefits of the project.

To read our full submission, please click here.