Communities in Toronto celebrated a rare victory on July 24: the federal government announced, late on a Friday afternoon, that jets at the Island Airport were off the table “at this time”.

The decision followed several tumultuous months following Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s announcement that he would expand the small Island Airport for use by jets, projecting 10M passengers per year.

Toronto citizens quickly realized this was another of Ford’s not-thought-out moves, like musing about tunnelling 50 kilometers under Highway 401, destroying Ontario Place for a European spa, and shuttering the Ontario Science Centre because the roof leaked.

Ford then went even further, passing a law that gave ownership to the province of not just the City’s portion of the airport lands, but most of Toronto Island, and all of Little Norway Park, that abuts the airport – presumably for parking and access, as there is only a two lane road to the airport ferry and pedestrian tunnel, and limited parking– wildly inadequate for an airport handling Ford’s proposed 10 million passengers a year.

But Ford had no plan, and neither did the airport operator, Toronto Port Authority (TPA).

Once it became clear that there was no plan, and that Ford had no idea of the impact an expanded airport, public opinion turned solidly to oppose jets.

It was a one-sided debate – no one spoke up for the jets proposal. The Toronto Star tried and failed to find anyone willing to debate an opponent of jets.

Many activists who had worked to defeat a bridge to the airport 20 years ago, and to defeat an earlier attempt to introduce jets, 10 years ago, were still around, and dusted off........

© rabble