Are there other safety issues? What Liberal MPs need to know
- Parks not Planes
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
Parks not Planes, June 2026
Part 4 of 8
Toronto’s Liberal Members of Parliament have been feeling the pressure from the many constituents who have been appalled by Doug Ford’s efforts to inflict jets on Toronto’s waterfront.
We’ve seen a number of lengthy responses from them, often quite similar to each other.
What is notable in those responses is the repetition of talking points that are based on incomplete or even wrong information.
It is surprising that they do seem to take Nieuport lobbyists’ word without ensuring what they are being told by the lobbyists can be relied upon.
Here’s our effort to ensure the jets debate is founded on fact: what those MPs need to know.
4: Are there other airport safety issues?
Sure are!
MP Danielle Martin states:
As your MP, I will continue to prioritize the safety of all operations at the airport …
Any expansion, it needs to be for safety
Would that be so!
There are numerous impediments to safe operations in the skies around the Airport.
In his recent report to City Council, Toronto’s Chief Planner writes:
Transport Canada has granted exemptions to the TP 312 guidelines to account for transient obstructions, including constraints associated with existing waterfront infrastructure and marine navigation considerations, such as obstruction management in proximity to structures like the Hearn Stack.
… The preliminary analysis indicates that a proposal for a westward runway extension has the potential to introduce challenges for some instrument flight procedures, particularly due to interactions with existing buildings and obstacles.
… For example, the analysis shows a proposed extension would create new obstacle conflicts (building penetrations) for runway approaches, which would require higher approach minimums (more diversions when visibility is poor), or steeper climb requirements
This document, prepared the last time jets were proposed, is a great summary of the safety challenges the Airport faces.
No regulation addresses the unique safety challenges presented by an airport bounded by water.
The Q400, used by Porter and Air Canada, already pushes the limits of the existing 1216m 08/26 runway – its manufacturer specifies a minimum landing field length of 1268m.
And then there is this:
A 1993 intergovernmental study, which engaged experts from Transport Canada and the City of Toronto, concluded that a crash at the Island Airport involving a 50-passenger plane would require a response by 64 emergency vehicles from fire, police and ambulance services, and about 200 personnel.
The current ferry service would be incapable of transporting the emergency vehicles across the Western Channel as they arrive," it said, predicting it would take up to two hours for all the vehicles required to cross over to the airport.
A Freedom-of Information search of TPA records reveals that no study subsequent to the 1993 study has been conducted.
The pedestrian tunnel does nothing to address this concern, as it cannot transport emergency vehicles.
The two lane street, running between Little Norway Park, and Harbourfront School and Community Centre, is frequently so jammed with airport traffic that emergency vehicles would have a hard time even reaching the ferry, let alone the Airport.
In 2015, 25 emergency vehicles attended the aircraft that skidded off the runway at LaGuardia, where there was no fire and no significant injuries. A berm prevented the aircraft from entering the adjacent water.
However, Toronto's Island Airport has neither a berm nor any runway end arresting material.
Neither is there the ability for even 25 emergency vehicles to reach a crash on the airport lands within any satisfactory time, as that Study made clear.
In a press release on October 16, 2003, then TPA CEO Lisa Raitt stated:
"The fixed link is a public safety issue. The need for a bridge to get emergency equipment to the airport quickly was identified by an intergovernmental committee almost 10 years ago." said Ms. Raitt. "In the event of an emergency, it could take up to two hours to get the appropriate equipment over to the island and that's not acceptable."
When the proposed bridge was cancelled by the Liberal federal government, on the request of the City, airport expansion continued notwithstanding.
Our Ask
This debate needs to be based on facts, not lobbyists’ talking points.
We ask that those Liberal MPs confirm now that the federal government will
continue to honour its pledge in 2015 to reject jets at the Island Airport and
continue to ensure City’s participation as a full party to the Tripartite Agreement, notwithstanding Premier Ford’s efforts to usurp the City’s role.
More things Liberal MP's need to know
A list of some recent and proposed airport closures.
1. Tempelhof Airport: Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin, closed 2008
Tempelhof’s central location meant flight noise affected vast residential areas, and its short runways couldn’t accommodate modern aircraft. After closure it was transformed and reopened as a community park, garden, and nature reserve in 2010 — now a haven for skateboarders, cyclists, and picnickers who value the vast greenery in a dense city. On an average day around 10,000 Berliners use the space. (Medium, Berlin Beyond Borders)
2. Edmonton City Centre Airport, closed 2013
Redevelopment plans called for a community of approximately 30,000 people – described as a walkable, sustainable, holistic community with a retail sector. This one is Canadian and directly relevant as a precedent. (Global News).
3. Chicago Meigs Field
On the night of March 30, 2003, Daley ordered city crews to make the runway unusable by bulldozing large "X"-shaped gouges into the runway surface in the middle of the night. This resulted in several aircraft being stranded on the ground at the airport; these were later allowed to depart from Meigs' 3,000-foot (910 m) taxiway.
Daley stated during a news conference on March 31, "To do this any other way would have been needlessly contentious." Daley defended his actions by claiming it would save the city of Chicago the effort of further court battles before the airport could close. He also claimed the closure was due to safety concerns, particularly the post-9/11 risk of terrorist-controlled aircraft attacking the downtown waterfront near Meigs Field
Northerly Island is now a park that features prairie grasses, strolling paths and a giant pond. In 2005, the 7,500 seat Huntington Bank Pavilion, which hosts music concerts in the summer, opened on the site. The island also has a modest beach named 12th Street Beach (Wikipedia)
4. Santa Monica Municipal Airport
It has been one of the world's foremost general aviation airports (at one time, the busiest single-runway airport in the world). The airport is scheduled to close on December 31, 2028.
In 2009, with jet traffic increasing at SMO, studies by UCLA and the South Coast Air Quality Management District warned that SMO was a source of abnormally high air pollution in the area, particularly for ultrafine particles that threatened the health of children and the elderly, and those with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In neighbourhoods downwind of the airport, ultrafine particles were measured at 2.5 to 10 times the normal amount. The FAA attempted remediation by controlling the timing of engine run-ups and positioning of aircraft, but some residents complained that the measures failed to resolve the problem.
In 2017, the FAA agreed to let the city shorten the runway from 4,925 feet (1,501 m) to 3,500 feet (1,100 m) – effectively blocking most jets from using the airport – and allowing the city to completely close the airport by December 31, 2028 (Wikipedia)
5. International Airport Central Park neighbourhood, Denver, closed 1995
The project generated billions in economic impact and employed thousands in high-paying jobs. The land was redeveloped into a thriving urban community of 35,000 residents, now held up as a model for urban redevelopment initiatives. The redevelopment was built on three principles: economic opportunity, environmental responsibility, and social equity. (Denver Urban Renewal Authority – Stapleton Urban Land Institute Case Study)
6. Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland, proposed closure, 2024 study
A current, directly comparable case – downtown waterfront airport with jet service. A city-commissioned report found that redeveloping Burke with mixed uses – hotels, recreation, and open spaces – could generate up to $92 million per year in new economic activity, concluding that closure “would permit investment that would ultimately have greater economic activity than currently occurring” at the airport. (Cleveland Magazine, Sept. 2024)
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