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.
