Toronto Liberal MPs are celebrating the government’s decision to reject the province’s proposal to expand Billy Bishop airport, defusing a potentially contentious political fight over development of the city’s waterfront.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon made the announcement on Friday, singling out concerns such as elevated noise, destruction of public spaces, restraints on housing construction and environmental impacts.

That decision came after the government launched consultations in the spring on the proposal.

The Ontario government had invoked a new law to fast-track the expansion, but needed sign-off from Ottawa because the downtown airport is jointly overseen by the province, federal government and city as part of the tripartite agreement. Ontario had used its powers to take over Toronto’s seat at the table as cities fall under the jurisdiction of provincial governments in the Constitution.

While Premier Doug Ford said he had the support of Prime Minister Mark Carney, it was clear early on the project was divisive in downtown Toronto, which is represented by in the House of Commons by members of the governing Liberals.

Chi Nguyen, whose Spadina-Harbourfront riding includes the airport, said she held four town halls on the project and a survey her office undertook on it received nearly 3,000 responses.

The separate Transport Canada consultation received around 87,000 responses, according to the government.

Nguyen said voters were “feeling really anxious” about the size of the runway expansion and the potential to bring in an additional 10 million passengers to the airport.

“The reality is that there was no detailed plan put in front of us, but the the concept enough was enough to say, ‘hey, let’s put a pause and let’s be thoughtful about this,’” she said, adding that with Ford taking over the city’s role on the airport, it was important to make sure “Torontonians have a clear say in the future of the waterfront.”

Julie Dzerowicz, who represents the nearby Davenport riding and chairs the Toronto Liberal caucus, said her constituents had no confidence in the province’s handling of a potential expansion after feeling ignored in previous moves to redevelop Ontario Place and relocate the Ontario Science Centre.

“I think they felt their voice was not being heard or their voice wasn’t being taken into consideration around any type of proposed development for a expansion of Billy Bishop airport,” she said, noting the Ford government never submitted a detailed plan for the expansion.

Dzerowicz credited MacKinnon and other Liberal cabinet ministers for being “very responsive” to concerns raised by Toronto voters.

Pollster David Valentin said the airport expansion was a case of high risk and low reward for the federal Liberals, who have held every seat in central Toronto since the 2015 election.

“I think from their perspective, what was the upside for them in this? You’re talking about plans that aren’t even public, an economic case that is pretty shaky. I think they have better things [to deal with] and there’s no upside in endangering multiple of your party’s MPs for a project like this.”

Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, said rejecting the expansion could also make it easier for the Liberals to retain the central Toronto riding of Beaches-East York in the Aug. 31 byelection.

That seat, he said, could become competitive if Mike Layton runs for the New Democrats, something the former Toronto city councillor is reportedly considering. He’s the son of revered NDP leader Jack Layton, who passed away from cancer in 2011, months after leading the party to its best-ever electoral showing.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, Layton’s widow and a former NDP MP, has also come out against the airport expansion.

In his statement, MacKinnon singled out his Liberal caucus colleagues for their work on consultations over the proposal, and Nguyen said she “spent a lot of time” with her Toronto MPs in sharing the feedback from constituents with the minister and Carney.

Taiaiako’n–Parkdale–High Park MP Karim Bardeesy said in a blog post that MacKinnon’s announcement provides long-awaited certainty for waterfront communities.

“This gives us all clarity, and sets very clear parameters for any discussion about the airport,” he said, arguing that expanding Billy Bishop no longer made sense given other transportation investments already underway. These include the Alto high-speed rail project, Pearson Airport expansion and improvements to the UP Express, which provides a frequent rail connection from downtown Toronto to Pearson.

Ontario NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam also called the federal decision a victory for residents who spent months campaigning against the proposal.

She said thousands of residents, business owners and community groups raised concerns about increased traffic, environmental impacts and the future of Toronto’s waterfront.

“This was really the citizens and the people of Toronto that rose up and said, ‘You cannot do this without talking to us.’”

Wong-Tam argued the federal government could have ended the debate much sooner, noting that former Liberal transport minister Marc Garneau quickly ruled out a previous runway expansion proposal years ago.

Still, she cautioned that Ottawa’s announcement may not permanently close the door.

“‘Not now’ is not the same as not ever,” she said, pointing to the federal government’s continued control over the tripartite agreement governing the airport.

Next steps

Ontario Transport Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria suggested Friday the province’s expansion proposal remains active and he expected to receive a new plan that addresses concerns raised by Ottawa.

This revised plan will ensure the project “protects public spaces, including the Toronto Islands, addresses potential noise and environmental impacts, expands and improves Little Norway Park, supports new housing opportunities in the area, and delivers lasting benefits for local communities,” he said in a post on X.

MacKinnon’s office didn’t directly respond to a question on whether the project could be resubmitted and referred iPolitics to the minister’s statement from Friday.

It remains unclear if the province received any assurances of support from the federal government prior to the decision.

When unveiling the proposal in March, Ford told reporters the project already had Ottawa’s backing and the feds “realize that it’s going to create many jobs and economic opportunities.”

Asked Monday why the province had maintained Ottawa was supportive, Ford’s office did not respond.

with files from Barbara Patrocinio