The province will be taking over control of Billy Bishop airport on Toronto Island, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.

“This is a crown jewel,” said Ford, adding the City of Toronto, which currently has jurisdiction of the airport, will be compensated for the value and for any lost revenue, which Ford said was about $5 million a year.

“This is an economic driver,” the premier said.

The airport is currently governed by a tripartite agreement with the City of Toronto, Toronto Port Authority and the federal government. The city owns about 20 per cent of the land the airport sits on, according to its site.

Ford told reporters that he’d told Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow about the plan when she visited his home “in the last week or so.”

“I was very straightforward with her that we will be taking over the airport,” he said. Ford did not say when the province will assume control or how much the initial payout to the city will cost.

At a news conference earlier Tuesday, Chow told reporters she has not heard official plans from the province about changes to the airport, but said it’s possible the province could take over the lands, as they have the power to do so.

Shirven Rezvany, spokesperson for Chow, said the mayor will continue to insist the City of Toronto has a seat at the table for big decisions about its waterfront.

The Toronto Port Authority, the federal agency which owns Billy Bishop Airport, welcomes the premier’s comments about taking over the city’s jurisdiction, Deborah Wilson, spokesperson for the organization said in a statement to CBC Toronto Tuesday. 

She said the authority is willing to work with any partner focused on modernizing the airport to reach its economic potential.

Disagreement over jets downtown

Ford recently brought up the idea of bringing jets to the downtown airport in a keynote address at the Feb. 26 Toronto Region Board of Trade annual dinner. He also said he wants to extend the runway.

Chow said she agrees the runway at Billy Bishop needs to be extended, she said she does not support bringing jets downtown due to the noise.

“There needs to be discussion so that the use of waterfront is balanced,” Chow said. “I welcome the province in participating in this conversation.”

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Chow said the federal deadline for the runway extension is July 2027.

Last week, Roelof-Jan Steenstra, CEO of the Toronto Port Authority, which operates the airport, said he supports Ford’s vision to bring jets to Billy Bishop and is ready to work together with the province.

When asked about the noise concerns regarding jets, Ford said the province will do what it can to reduce noise. He floated the possibility of quieter “whisper jets,” but said he doesn’t think allowing jets make much of a difference as the smaller planes that currently fly out of Billy Bishop are “pretty loud.”

“We’re looking at convenience for people as well,” the premier said. “We can’t let the very, very few amount of people determine the future of our province and our city.”

NoJetsTO, a local anti-jets advocacy group, put out a news release condemning Ford’s comments on Tuesday.

Ford’s takeover would cut Torontonians out of the debate on what happens to the downtown airport, the organization’s chair Norm Di Pasquale said in the release. He said Torontonians deserve a say in decisions regarding their city.