For years now, progressives in Ontario have been wondering what — if anything — could take Doug Ford down. Now, they have an answer: airplanes. The federal government’s rejection of the plan to expand the Billy Bishop downtown airport, one the Ford government backed enthusiastically, is just the latest aviation-themed defeat for Ontario’s premier. It’s also a model for how other cities can effectively fight back against their increasingly domineering provincial governments. 

After all, while there are few things Canada’s premiers love more than telling the federal government to “stay in its lane,” they have no problem swerving into the path of municipal governments whenever it suits them. In Alberta, for example, the UCP government has repeatedly tried to intervene in clearly local matters, from noise complaints arising at the Calgary Stampede to the very existence of bike lanes and the use of political parties in municipal elections. They’ve also made it clear that their two biggest cities, Edmonton and Calgary, are prohibited from officially campaigning against the province’s separatist referendum.

The situation is no better in Ontario, where the Ford government has repeatedly imposed its will on Toronto on everything from the size of city council and the futures of Ontario Place and the Ontario Science Centre to local housing, infrastructure projects and, of course, bike lanes. This has been going on for........

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