Sunday, July 26 was a day of joy and celebration for YQNA and all who love the Waterfront. Hundreds of people of all ages gathered in Harbour Square Park to revel in the end of jet expansion of the Island Airport. The federal government finally acknowledged that the Waterfront belongs to the people of Toronto, after 87% of the thousands who responded to their survey said “hands off.” The Waterfront is ours and it’s great already!
Norm Di Pasquale who heads NoJetsTO led the parade along Queens Quay with stops at Love Park and HTO Park. People cheered the victorious speeches, a band was playing, and mixing with the crowd were Mayor Olivia Chow, Councillor Ausma Malik, MPP Chris Glover, former mayor David Crombie and activists from Environmental Defence, a vital partner in the struggle. Urban designer Ken Greenberg was cheering with former Chief Planner Paul Bedford in Paul’s boat by HTO Park. Ed Hore, our co-chair and chair of Waterfront for All was on vacation, but co-chair Neal Colgrass marched along with many other YQNA members.
The real heroes of the day were the citizens of Toronto who defended their Waterfront by the thousands. We showed our power in a rare display of democracy in a city that has been bullied by Premier Doug Ford, a virtual wrecking ball through Toronto. The Island Airport and the Islands were his latest land grabs, and that must be reversed. YQNA would like to encourage our citizens to stand up for an independent Toronto that is in charge of its own destiny. We have now shown our democratic power to change things. At our in-person meeting at the Radisson Blu hotel on September 14, we will talk about what needs to change here and how to do it.
Tomorrow’s RALLY, MARCH & FLOTILLA is officially going ahead — but now it’s a CELEBRATION!
Last night’s announcement that the federal government will not be proceeding with the proposed expansion of the Toronto Island Airport to accommodate jets is a HUGE win — and one worth celebrating!
Come celebrate this incredible community victory and show that we’re committed to protecting Toronto’s waterfront today and for generations to come!
Event Details:
Date: Sunday, July 26
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
📣 Kick-off rally at Harbour Square Park!
♥️ March along Queens Quay with a stop at Love Park — we’ll gather around the heart pond with our NoJetsTO signs and pose for an aerial photo.
🛶 Continue to HTO Park to meet the boat flotilla.
Important Notes
- Bring a reusable water bottle and dress for the weather. This is a rain or shine event!
- Before heading to the kick-off rally, check any road or transit closures for delays
- If you’re joining the boat flotilla with your canoe, kayak or small boat, give yourself lots of time to find parking and prepare for launching HERE is more information you’ll need for the flotilla
- By participating on the water, you are doing so at your own risk. Please take all necessary precautions, including checking the weather and water conditions before setting out, ensuring you have a personal flotation device with you at all times, and giving way to other boats and kayaks.
- Be at the meeting point on the water near HTO Park on Sunday, July 26, by 11:30 AM (see image in document)
Bring your energy, your bold signs, your loudest voices, and invite your friends and neighbours, too!
RESA Cost Balloons to $95M
Turns out the RESA option approved by City Council in 2024 and expected to cost up to $64 million will now cost $95 million, according to a Toronto Port Authority (TPA) financial statement. With $118M in publicly funded assets, can the TPA afford this without borrowing? And “is that the best use of public funds, when there are so many more legitimate uses for it?” asks Brian Iler of Parks Not Planes, which proposes an alternative to RESA. RESAs (Runway End Safety Areas) are safety extensions required by federal airport regulations.
The TPA is about to start building those extensions at the Island Airport, with little public consultation. Their online public meeting this week is scheduled for just half an hour. Little surprise, considering the flaws in their environmental assessment: “Based on the report contents, an objective professional assessment of environmental effects has not yet been completed for the RESA project,” writes Hal Beck, engineer and YQNA member in an expert analysis. Overnight construction will take place between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., Monday to Saturday, and last about a year. The airport will operate normally in the daytime.
Goodbye, Equity
Meanwhile, the lingering jet proposal could severely damage real estate markets. In a detailed report, Humber Bay Shores resident Zal Press states that increased noise, height/airspace restrictions, and stigma of market perception would lower property values and drain billions of dollars in homeowner equity. Cascading effects would damage other neighbourhoods and ultimately reduce the City tax base, forcing higher taxes on everyone else to absorb the cost. See Zal’s full paper.
Hello, Uncertainty
The federal government’s hesitation over jets also has a cost: “Cities depend on confidence. Investment depends on confidence,” writes renowned urban designer Ken Greenberg in the Toronto Star. “What Toronto cannot afford is years of uncertainty hanging over one of the country’s greatest city-building achievements. The cost of uncertainty is not theoretical. It is already being paid.” See him speak at a vibrant Waterfront for All meeting on the high cost of uncertainty.
The best way to learn how important the Waterfront is to Toronto is to visit on a summer day. That is why YQNA has invited Prime Minister Mark Carney, with the support of 60 other neighbourhood associations in Toronto from FoSTRA and FoNTRA — umbrella groups from Sheppard Avenue in the north down to the lake. Several MPs in Toronto are delivering the invitation to Mr. Carney.
We are hoping the Prime Minister can find the time to meet his many supporters in Toronto. There will be no speeches or ceremonies, but a boat ride, entertainment or just relaxing on our beautiful Waterfront can be arranged. As soon as we hear from Mr. Carney’s staff, we will share the news.
Floating Convenience Store
This is the sixth summer that we see art floating in the Harbour Square Basin, each one a delight. The Global Convenience store was recently anchored near the boardwalk. It is the work of Toronto artists Trevor Wheatley and Cosmo Dean. The store looks familiar and surreal at the same time, with changing products in the storefront and ducks and kayaks bobbing around. It is the product of Waterfront Toronto’s Floating Public Art program and here to stay for the summer. On the first day, a familiar NoJets sign was placed in the front window to protest a jet airport, but was considered a rogue act and quickly removed.
Latest on Jets
- A group of civic luminaries including Ken Greenberg, Anne Golden and Helen Burstyn have launched a “Reality Check” website challenging the jet proposal: https://torealitycheck.ca. Support comes from notable Torontonians including Margaret Atwood, former Ontario Premier Bob Rae, David Mirvish, and former Mayors David Crombie and Art Eggleton. Check it out!
- Toronto Port Authority is challenging building heights already approved for Ookwemin Minising in the Port Lands, saying they might be too high for the Island Airport. No mention of jets, but the buildings “‘may also impact other instrument flight procedures that have not been named” in an attached NAV Canada letter. YQNA Co-Chair Ed Hore says the argument “seems to be that developers, the City and Waterfront Toronto are subject to ill-defined restrictions that could change at any time, and would probably change a lot if jets were allowed.” This uncertainty appears to stretch as far as South Etobicoke. See the TPA’s judicial review application.
Arts Galore in Terminal Theatre
The theatre in the Terminal Building has been revived and is entering a new era with many different art forms on stage. That is exciting news, because after Harbourfront Centre ended its management of the Fleck Dance Theatre, its future was uncertain. The Toronto Stage Company came to the rescue, and producer Jon Chaters has announced the first season. It offers theatre, opera, musicals and dance, with single tickets and subscriptions available now. Imagine that we will be able to see La Bohème, The Pirates of Penzance and Martha Graham’s legendary dance company in the Terminal Theatre! Take a look at their season and book your favourite shows. It’s a good time to support culture on the Waterfront.
The Money Trail
JP Morgan, USA’s biggest bank, holds the leash — or controls the consortium that owns the Billy Bishop Airport terminal. That consortium is Nieuport Aviation, which paid an egregious $750 million for the terminal in 2015. Now they are burdened with declining passenger traffic and questionable long-term financial performance.
Enter Doug Ford! In his back-room style he expropriated Toronto’s part of the airport land and perhaps the City’s say in its future, all to revive the dream of an expanded jet airport. Yet no public plans exist, especially business plans.
Jets were turned down ten years ago as being completely unsuited to the Waterfront. Now residents are determined once more to save the Islands and the Waterfront — the true gem of our city.
May Meeting Minutes
YQNA’s public meeting in May featured Norm Di Pasquale along with former Mayor David Crombie and engineer Hal Beck, all highlighting grave issues with the jets proposal. Also featured were MPP Chris Glover, MP Chi Nguyen, City Councillor Ausma Malik, and Morganne Campbell of Harbourfront Centre. Read the new minutes by volunteer Didi Wu or see the video on YouTube!
Transport Canada wants our opinion on the proposed jet airport on our Waterfront, and YQNA urges you to fill out their online survey. You will be anonymous. If you have more to say, please write them to the addresses included below.
YQNA finds it odd that we are asked about this airport expansion when there are no plans of any kind to respond to. Even our MPs and Prime Minister Mark Carney have no opinions for lack of information. Still, we welcome this opportunity to speak to Ottawa.
- Email written feedback to [email protected] with the subject line: “Consultation – Future of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.” Or mail feedback to:
Attention: Consultation – Future of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
Transport Canada, Air Policy
Place de Ville, Tower C
330 Sparks St
Ottawa ON K1A 0N5
Gather Against Jets
Two big meetings are coming up on the jets issue — and YQNA members will be in attendance! Register for the following events:
- Join NoJetsTO and Environmental Defence for a webinar on the potential impact of jets — and what we can do to stop it. Among the speakers are Dr. Mili Roy of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) on how jets would affect the health of Toronto residents. Tuesday, June 16 from 7-8pm on Zoom. Register here.
- Waterfront for All will host a meeting on “The Costs of Uncertainty: BBTCA Expansion Proposal,” focusing on “the causes and costs of uncertainty in civic and developmental planning” as questions swirl around the jets proposal. Wednesday, June 24 at 7pm on Zoom. RSVP here.
Summer Activities
On the lighter side, check out summer activities on the Waterfront!
- Harbourfront Centre’s include Summer Music in the Garden, Free Flicks and Dancing on the Square. More here. Their new soccer pitch (seen above) is for kids and families to have fun. See the details.
- Waterfront BIA lists events like Stories of Women Who Transformed Toronto, Luminato Festival and sailing pond yachts across Love Park. Click for more.
Newer Posts