Queen’s Park will step into the City of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement governing Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, effectively taking control to expand its runway and allow larger jets to land minutes from downtown, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced today. 

The premier took aim at “lefties” on the city council who oppose development. “They don’t want to see economic growth. They’d rather keep everything status quo.”

The plan marks one of the most aggressive interventions yet by the Ford government into municipal affairs, and sets up a direct political clash with Mayor Olivia Chow, who accused the province of overreach.

At the centre of the dispute is a decades-old tripartite agreement between the city, the federal government and the port authority that governs the island airport. While each party holds a stake, the province ultimately has constitutional authority over municipalities, giving Ford the legal upper hand.

The government plans to introduce legislation within days to formalize the takeover. It will also designate the airport a “Special Economic Zone,” using powers granted under the controversial Bill 5 Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act.

That designation would allow the province to bypass or streamline certain provincial and municipal laws, part of what Ford argues is necessary to fast-track major infrastructure.

For an area to be designated as a special economic zone, it must be “economically significant or strategically important to the Ontario economy.” 

READ MORE: Carney dodges question on federal assessment in Ontario’s special economic zones

The Billy Bishop airport is an unexpected pick for the Ford government, who in the past mostly spoke of the Ring of Fire when describing how he might use the powers in the legislation.

The Premier recently said there was no need to make the northwestern Ontario deposit into a special economic zone given the province’s collaborative relationship with two First Nations leading construction on access roads. 

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ford hinted that the relationship with the City of Toronto is different and more adversarial. 

Alex Lusty, lawyer with land development-focused firm Davies Howe, told iPolitics he and his team had expected the law would be used in a mining, forestry, or aggregates context.

He says the Billy Bishop airport is “an interesting place to start.”

“I think what it tells us is that the use of Special Economic Zones may be a lot broader than what we initially anticipated,” he said. 

As for the federal government, Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon says any future decision about the Billy Bishop airport will require the consensus of all signatories to the tripartite agreement. 

The City of Toronto is unlikely to agree to the takeover. 

Mayor Chow said in a statement Monday that “unilateral action to grab city land without consulting Torontonians is not acceptable to people.” 

Spadina-Fort York councillor Ausma Malik intends on introducing a motion at council this week formally opposing the province’s expropriation plans and requesting Toronto residents be involved in decisions about the city’s waterfront.

The province says Toronto will be compensated for the loss of control and receive $5 million annually to offset lost revenue.

On the other hand, Roelof-Jan (RJ) Steenstra, president and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority, welcomed the proposed changes.

“This means expanding connectivity, responding to population growth and rising aviation demand, protecting access to northern and remote communities, strengthening tourism and trade, and embracing modern aircraft types that are cleaner, quieter and more efficient,” he said.

Opposition parties and critics say the move is less about economic growth and more about political control.

“This premier has an unhealthy obsession with the city of Toronto,” said NDP Leader Marit Stiles, arguing the project benefits a narrow group. “I don’t see anybody else calling for this.”

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said the move confirms long-standing concerns about Bill 5’s sweeping powers. “We warned people this was going to happen. The premier needs to stay in his lane.”

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner echoed that criticism, calling the economic zone designation “exactly the kind of abuse we’ve been worried about,” and warning it could sideline environmental protections.

The fight over jets at Billy Bishop is not new. The issue dominated Toronto politics more than two decades ago, becoming a defining ballot question in the 2003 mayoral race.

With files from Barbara Patrocinio