Save Our Waterfront!
It’s time to be heard about the possible expansion of the Toronto Island Airport! Tell City Council how much our Waterfront – and the future of the Port Lands – means to you.
CodeBlueTO believes the changes being considered for the Toronto Island Airport could have a profound impact on our Waterfront. And we can all do something to stop it.
It feels like the struggle to save our vision for the Port Lands – and the whole City’s relationship to the lake – is being challenged once again.
You probably already know that Porter Airlines’ CEO, Robert Deluce, wants to open up the Tripartite Agreement, which governs the operations of the Island Airport, so that he can fly jets to YTZ. Right now, the City wants to hear what you think about it. The City is also working on a number of reports about the plan. Then, in December, Council will vote to support or reject extending the runway into our lake … and bringing jets downtown, with a long, low flight path over the Port Lands.
A call for action
Now’s your chance to get involved with residents from across Toronto, working together as NoJetsTO, which is dedicated to preserving the City’s mixed-use Waterfront, and ensuring the airport is in balance with that use. The core organizers of CodeBlueTO have agreed to support the work of NoJetsTO. We encourage you to do the same. Through NoJetsTO, you can:
- Sign a petition (sending an email directly to your City Councillor).
- Volunteer.
- Donate to NoJetsTO.
- Order a lawn sign.
Questions about the proposed expansion of the Toronto Island Airport, a longer runway, and the addition of jets to the Waterfront
- Do you want to see the future of the Port Lands, Exhibition Place, the Canadian National Exhibition, and Ontario Place damaged by low-flying jet takeoffs and landings?
- Are you prepared to sacrifice some of our island parks to commercial fuel storage tanks and other facilities to service jet airplanes?
- With the reduction of Queens Quay to a two-lane boulevard, would there be a practical way to make sure area traffic won’t become even more of a congested nightmare with a huge increase in the number of passengers coming to and from the airport?
- Do you feel there is an urgent need to extend the Island Airport runway into our harbour and bring jets downtown in light of the Province of Ontario’s quick link rail system, scheduled to start in 2015, which will take 25 minutes to get from Union Station to Pearson Airport?
- Can you give up more of the central harbour for the sake of longer runways and larger exclusion zones to keep boats away from bigger planes landing and taking off?
- Are you willing to see small watercraft – canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, dinghies, learners’ sail boats – hit by gale-force jet blasts?
- Would you be comfortable with increased air, water and noise pollution across southern Toronto?
- Does the increased danger from bird strikes bother you, with the knowledge that waterfowl and bird sanctuaries are in the area?
- Are you aware City Staff have already said that reopening the existing Tripartite Agreement for one aircraft would in fact allow a whole class of jets built by different manufacturers, and open our Island Airport to more airlines?
- Would it concern you to know that there would also be a risk of NAFTA and Open Skies Agreement-related lawsuits if international airlines are not given the same privileges as Porter?
Let the City know about your priorities for the Waterfront
One last thing – please take a moment to fill out the City of Toronto’s online survey: Future of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. (If you’d like background details about what’s being considered, you can visit the City of Toronto’s Airport Review section.)
CodeBlueTO thanks you!