Item - 2026.PH31.5

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning recommends that:

1. Planning and Housing Committee receive this report for information.

Beginning in March 2026, the Toronto Port Authority and Province of Ontario have made a series of announcements about a proposed expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (BBTCA). These announcements, by way of press conferences and media interviews, have been issued outside of the established and governing Tripartite Agreement. As of the date of submitting this report, the City has not received any specific plans or details regarding the proposed expansion.

On May 28, 2026, the Province passed Bill 110, Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 (Bill 110) which enables the Province to assume the City’s role in the Tripartite Agreement and take ownership over certain City-owned lands in Bathurst Quay and the Toronto Islands. The Province has also proposed declaring BBTCA a Special Economic Zone to enable a land mass expansion to lengthen the existing runway, enabling jet aircraft, among other things. Designation as a Special Economic Zone would empower the Province to exempt the project from various municipal approvals. Both an extension and use of BBTCA for jets are currently prohibited without amending the Tripartite Agreement. The Federal Minister of Transportation, on May 28, 2026 indicated, via the media, that consultations will launch summer 2026 and feedback gathered through this process will play a role in guiding any future decisions on the Tripartite agreement.

This report reflects information and media reports to May 28, 2026. To date, City staff have not been consulted or been made aware of a comprehensive plan, business case, or rationale related to these announcements around the proposed expansion of the airport.

This report responds to the April 14, 2026 Planning and Housing Committee direction to study the prospective impact that expanding the flightpath to accommodate jets at Billy Bishop Airport would have on new housing supply (PH29.11) as well as the April 22-23, 2026 Council direction for staff to report back to on the current status of land-side transportation directions and matters related to BBTCA and the surrounding area (MM40.23). This report provides an analysis of indicative growth scenarios, identifies possible impacts of land takings and growth proposals and identifies areas that will need further study should proposals advance. Staff have prepared this analysis based on prior proposals, including the 2013 Porter Airlines proposal and the Toronto Port Authority’s own Environmental Assessment study in 2017 (the “2017 EA”) of the proposed introduction of jets and runway extension advanced by Porter in 2013. The Environmental Assessment provides a critical evidence base for evaluating future runway extension proposals. It demonstrated that, in a constrained, dense urban waterfront setting, even incremental proposals for aviation expansion can generate multi‑dimensional and interdependent impacts that extend beyond the airport boundary.

There are no financial impacts from this report.

Should any airport expansion proposals advance, additional work may be required to support analysis, engagement, and technical studies related to the proposed change. The scope and costs of such analysis are yet to be determined. Similar work associated with the Porter Proposal in 2013 resulted in costs of $1 million which were reimbursed by the Toronto Port Authority.

City Council has directed through 2026.MM40.46 that no costs associated with compliance with the provincial legislation should be borne by the City of Toronto, including staff time.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the information as presented in the Financial Impact Section.