Item - 2026.PH32.7

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council request the Government of Ontario and the Toronto Port Authority, should they continue to pursue airport expansion, to make information publicly available on the beneficial owners and controlling interests of Nieuport Aviation, owner of the terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to the extent the information is in the custody and control of the Government of Ontario. 

2. City Council request the Government of Ontario and the Toronto Port Authority to publicly disclose any plans, business cases or studies related to the proposed expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. 

3. City Council forward Item PH32.7, and any plans, business cases or studies related to the proposed expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to the Medical Officer of Health to inform a comprehensive assessment on the potential health impacts of any proposal to expand operations at the airport, including cardiovascular, respiratory, cognitive and other impacts, including any potential impacts of ultrafine particles.

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.

This supplemental report is in response to Planning and Housing Committee's request for additional information related to the proposed Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (BBTCA) expansion, specifically ownership of the passenger terminal building, information on the City’s Lobbying By-law, and an overview of potential Inner Harbour water quality impacts of a proposed expansion. In preparing a response to this request for additional information, City Planning staff have engaged Toronto Water, the City Manager’s Office, and the Lobbyist Registrar.

Through publicly available information, staff report that Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners GP (“Nieuport”) owns and operates the passenger terminal at BBTCA. Nieuport is set up as a general partnership and, as such, is generally not required to publicly disclose information such as beneficial owners, ownership percentages, financial information, or investor identities. In Nieuport’s public information, including website, they indicate that they are owned by institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, however, staff are unaware of the precise structure of this ownership, operational, and advisory relationship.

Chapter 140 of the Toronto Municipal Code (Lobbying) establishes a public lobbying registry to promote transparency about who is attempting to influence municipal decision making. The bylaw requires consultant and in-house lobbyists to disclose prescribed information regarding their clients or employers and, in specified circumstances, related entities or individuals with an interest in, or control over, the lobbying activity. It also requires lobbyists, when communicating with public office holders, to disclose the identity of the person or entity on whose behalf they are acting and the purpose of the communication.

Through initial analysis based on information that has been reported in the media about the proposed expansion, and the publicly available documentation related to previous expansion proposals, staff have identified the potential for negative impacts on water quality in Toronto’s Inner Harbour from a proposed BBTCA expansion. Based on available information from the Toronto Port Authority’s 2017 Environmental Assessment, runway extensions may reduce water flow and increase residence time, limiting the harbour’s ability to flush pollutants from the Don River, stormwater outfalls, and combined sewer overflows. These impacts would result from altered circulation patterns, increasing pollutant accumulation, and new contamination risks. This could negatively affect the intended improvements from ongoing multi-billion-dollar City stormwater and wastewater investments through major infrastructure projects.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council request the Government of Ontario and the Toronto Port Authority, should they continue to pursue airport expansion, to make information publicly available on the beneficial owners and controlling interests of Nieuport Aviation, owner of the terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to the extent the information is in the custody and control of the Government of Ontario. 

2. City Council request the Government of Ontario and the Toronto Port Authority to publicly disclose any plans, business cases or studies related to the proposed expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. 

3. City Council forward Item PH32.7, and any plans, business cases or studies related to the proposed expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to the Medical Officer of Health to inform a comprehensive assessment on the potential health impacts of any proposal to expand operations at the airport, including cardiovascular, respiratory, cognitive and other impacts, including any potential impacts of ultrafine particles.

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.

This supplemental report is in response to Planning and Housing Committee's request for additional information related to the proposed Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (BBTCA) expansion, specifically ownership of the passenger terminal building, information on the City’s Lobbying By-law, and an overview of potential Inner Harbour water quality impacts of a proposed expansion. In preparing a response to this request for additional information, City Planning staff have engaged Toronto Water, the City Manager’s Office, and the Lobbyist Registrar.

Through publicly available information, staff report that Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners GP (“Nieuport”) owns and operates the passenger terminal at BBTCA. Nieuport is set up as a general partnership and, as such, is generally not required to publicly disclose information such as beneficial owners, ownership percentages, financial information, or investor identities. In Nieuport’s public information, including website, they indicate that they are owned by institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, however, staff are unaware of the precise structure of this ownership, operational, and advisory relationship.

Chapter 140 of the Toronto Municipal Code (Lobbying) establishes a public lobbying registry to promote transparency about who is attempting to influence municipal decision making. The bylaw requires consultant and in-house lobbyists to disclose prescribed information regarding their clients or employers and, in specified circumstances, related entities or individuals with an interest in, or control over, the lobbying activity. It also requires lobbyists, when communicating with public office holders, to disclose the identity of the person or entity on whose behalf they are acting and the purpose of the communication.

Through initial analysis based on information that has been reported in the media about the proposed expansion, and the publicly available documentation related to previous expansion proposals, staff have identified the potential for negative impacts on water quality in Toronto’s Inner Harbour from a proposed BBTCA expansion. Based on available information from the Toronto Port Authority’s 2017 Environmental Assessment, runway extensions may reduce water flow and increase residence time, limiting the harbour’s ability to flush pollutants from the Don River, stormwater outfalls, and combined sewer overflows. These impacts would result from altered circulation patterns, increasing pollutant accumulation, and new contamination risks. This could negatively affect the intended improvements from ongoing multi-billion-dollar City stormwater and wastewater investments through major infrastructure projects.