Billy Bishop expansion could cost up to $5B, take 25 years to complete, federal agency says | CBC News

The proposed expansion of Billy Bishop airport could cost up to $5 billion. Funding would come from fees paid by airport users rather than taxpayers, according to the federal agency that operates the facility. The work would be carried out in phases over 25 years. The first phase would focus on runway enhancements, followed by terminal building upgrades. Revenue would be generated through gate fees and non-aeronautical income such as concessions in the terminal. The operator also described a prescriptive list of aircraft that can land at the airport, noting that only one modern aircraft type currently fits the list. The province plans to take over the airport’s land arrangements and has proposed making the airport a special economic zone to override certain laws, which the mayor opposes as a land grab.

"The proposed expansion of Billy Bishop airport could cost as much as $5 billion and will be paid for travelers not taxpayers says the arms-length federal agency that operates the facility. Toronto Port Authority CEO RJ Steenstra told a committee at Queen's Park that taxpayers will not be asked to fund the controversial project, but that it will instead rely on fees paid by airport users."

"The work will be done in phases over 25 years and would start with runway enhancements and then shift to the terminal buildings, he said. There's typically a gate fee and then there are non-aeronautical revenues like concessions in the terminal, for example, so those all drive to the revenue of the airport, Steenstra said in an interview with CBC News, describing fees that will be used to raise the billions required."

"We have a very prescriptive list of aircraft that can land at the airport, including World War Two bombers, he said. The only modern aircraft that is on that list today is the Q400, and that's already 40-year-old technology. In March, Premier Doug Ford announced he would make Billy Bishop airport a "special economic zone," which, under Bill 5, would allow the province to override certain laws in order to push ahead with development."

"A month later, the province introduced legislation that would see the province take over the City of Toronto's spot in a tripartite agreement that governs the land. The agreement is currently between the city, the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow opposes the province's plan and has called the bill a "land grab.""

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