Community AIR raps BoT pro-Island airport propaganda

‘The report is nothing more than a vehicle for airport cheerleaders to applaud Porter Air and the Toronto Port Authority. It must be disregarded.’

By Bill Freeman: Community AIR –

The Toronto Board of Trade has released a one-sided report on the Toronto Island Airport that seeks to convince its members and supporters that the airport has a legitimate role to play in the city. This report is a great sales pitch but falls short on background and objectivity.

The Board of Trade argues that the airport contributes to the economic well being of the city but admits there are only 200 jobs at the airport. Waterfront renewal is the largest construction project in the city’s history. It will create 25,000 permanent jobs, 50 million square feet of new construction, $12 billion in new investment and 400 acres of new parkland. Waterfront renewal is far more important to the economy of Toronto than the expansion of the airport. Mayor Miller is correct in his assessment that airport expansion threatens this vital Waterfront project that will contribute to the city’s social and economic renewal.

Island Airport expansion is incompatible with the objective of a clean, green city. These are the key issues:

The Island Airport is two kilometres from the heart of the city’s Downtown.

Airport expansion will spread air pollution across the Waterfront and deep into the centre of the city affecting hundreds of thousands of people.

Safety is a major concern. The central Waterfront has more than 30 high- and low-rise condos and co-ops housing over 20,000 Torontonians. The runways at the Island Airport are very short. There are problems with high winds and bird strikes.

Quality of life is the greatest economic and social asset of our city. Airport expansion will degrade the quality of life of all Torontonians.

The Toronto Board of Trade report shows deep bias. The researchers of the report did not talk to any of the people who live along the Waterfront or to members of Community AIR. The list of people they consulted with only includes councilors who support airport expansion. Not one councilor who opposed expansion and not one Member of Parliament was interviewed.