rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/protect-the-waterfront?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-protect-the-waterfront' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Spadina-Fort York For Palestine https://actionnetwork.org/groups/spadina-fort-york-for-palestine https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/450/890/normal/Untitled_-_June_15__2026_at_13.34.41-6.png On May 28th, 2026, the Ontario Government, led by Doug Ford, passed Bill 110, the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026. The Bill lays the groundwork for the expansion of the Billy Bishop Airport in order to accommodate jets landing at the airport. Under this plan, the proposed jets would be operating just two hundred meters away from our homes, neighbourhood parks, schools, and the most visited tourist location in all of Canada—the Toronto waterfront. Bill 110 removed the City of Toronto's role in the Tripartite Agreement, the structure that governs Billy Bishop airport that has been in place since 1983. The parties in the Tripartite Agreement are: 1) the provincial government, 2) the federally appointed Toronto Port Authority, and 3) the City of Toronto. The Bill simultaneously authorizes the provincial government to take over city-owned waterfront lands, including the majority of the Toronto Islands, and the adjacent city-owned Little Norway Park. The province is rationalizing this takeover of the city's waterfront by insisting that the land grab is required in order to push through the proposed expansion of the Billy Bishop Airport. The passage of Bill 110 has raised serious concerns among the more than 100,000 Torontonians who call the waterfront home, raising significant concerns about health, noise, traffic congestion, environmental impacts, and community welfare. Bill 110 represents yet another example of Doug Ford's government stripping away municipal authority, silencing local voices, and imposing changes that threaten the wellbeing and future of waterfront communities. Doug Ford's government's storied history of corruption gives us no confidence that any development—including that of Billy Bishop Airport—would consider residents, the environment, and potential harm to our communities. Just as we saw with Ontario Place, Ford's move to expand the airport offers no benefit to the masses of Torontonians and instead will serve foreign investors (in this case, United States' JP Morgan), and the profits of big business. Given that the federal government holds immense power within the Tripartite Agreement and can challenge Doug Ford's Bill 110 and the unwanted airport expansion, the lack of a clear response from the Liberal members of Parliament who represent Toronto’s downtown core (and the communities residing there) has been unacceptable. While the Province has aggressively advanced its plans, the downtown MPs have offered lacklustre statements and recycled talking points, signaling no opposition to the unprecedented seizure of municipal decision-making over its own future. Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria stated that the provincial government is confident that the federal government is "going to work with us" on the airport expansion, while Premier Ford has stated that the plans have "the federal government's support" [CBC News]. While Mark Carney has described the proposal as “a very interesting vision” with “big possibilities”, more recently he has claimed he is "undecided", promising that broad consultation on the matter will start soon as more information is required [CBC News Network, June 04]. Without clear opposition to the existential threat Doug Ford and Bill 110 bring to the Toronto waterfront, this uncertainty has created a vacuum that risks allowing a project with far-reaching consequences to move forward without the scrutiny and leadership that residents rightfully expect from their federal leadership. Transport Canada recently launched a public “consultation” on the future of Billy Bishop Airport. This consultation is an unnecessary exercise that is designed to satisfy a procedural requirement rather than to meaningfully engage the public. Community sentiment has already been expressed clearly and consistently: we oppose any airport expansion and reject the prioritization of investor interests over the health, well-being, and demands of the broader community. The survey’s incredibly biased framing leaves no room for neutrality in the process and the conclusions the federal government seeks to draw. Rather than seeking to genuinely understand public opinion, the process appears designed to shape or direct responses toward a predetermined outcome. The community unequivocally rejects this as an attempt to manufacture consent for a project that has already been rejected by those most affected by it. Contact these Downtown Toronto MPs and tell them: do not collude with Ford! https://actionnetwork.org/letters/protect-the-waterfront