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Can the promised consultation happen this summer? What Liberal MPs need to know

Parks not Planes, June 2026

Part 1 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.

What Liberal MPs need to know. 1. Consultation

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.



1: Can the promised consultation happen this summer?


No. Summer’s a terrible time for consultation. And what’s there to consult on? There are no plans, no reports, nothing to discuss beyond Doug Ford’s power (and land) grab.


But here’s what the Globe and Mail reported on June 4:

On Thursday, the Prime Minister said the federal government will launch a consultation process over the summer [our emphasis] to get feedback from affected residents. “There’s many, many issues. There’s issues of transportation, there’s issues of economics, but there’s issues of neighbourhoods, quality of life, environmental concerns or issues, parks and other elements,” he said.

Even the Toronto Port Authority says it will be at least 6 months before the necessary studies are available. Its CEO RJ Steenstra told a legislative committee:

Under questioning from opposition MPPs, Steenstra told the committee the agency had done preliminary studies but had not completed a final business case for the expansion. That work is underway and will be released sometime in the next six months to a year.


The Federal Government has enough information to pull the plug on introducing jets at the island airport now.


Prime Minister Carney and his Minister of Transport should read the 2017 AECOM Environmental Assessment Report prepared for Porter, which was only publicly released in March this year through a Freedom of Information request.


This concluded jets at the island airport were not feasible for a variety of reasons.

Since then, the development of Toronto's waterfront and new data on air pollution, noise and safety have further strengthened the argument against jets flying in and out of Billy Bishop City Airport.


We cannot sacrifice the health, safety and economic prosperity of Toronto's waterfront simply to enhance the coffers of J P Morgan and the failing financial reality of Nieuport.


So, until there’s something to consult on, any process this summer would be worthless, and a waste of everyone’s time.



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

  1. continue to honour its pledge in 2015 to reject jets at the Island Airport and

  2. 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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