Toronto mayor says park takeover for airport expansion ‘a pure power grab’

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the airport is currently ‘underutilized’ and plans to move forward with the expansion, despite pushback.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is speaking out against a provincial plan to take over a section of a park on Toronto’s waterfront as part of plans to expand Billy Bishop Airport.

“This park belongs to the people. And no, it should not be expropriated. It should not be paved over. It is just a pure power grab,” Chow told reporters at Little Norway Park Friday.

The Ford government introduced legislation Thursday to take over the city’s part in a tripartite agreement governing the downtown airport. Premier Doug Ford has said his government is designating the area a special economic zone in order to expand the runway at the airport to allow jets.

On Thursday, the province revealed city lands it plans to expropriate include about one third of Little Norway Park – a historic 2.4-hectare park at the foot of Bathurst Street.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria’s office said that while some of the parkland is included in the expropriation, Little Norway will remain a park.

“The Park will continue,” Sarkaria told CP24 in an interview Friday.

He said there will be consultation with the community as the plans move forward.

“We’re going to make sure we consult and ensure that those around us are also in conversation with us. That will continue to happen as this plan continues to evolve,” Sarkaria said.

But at the same time, the government has laid out few clear details about its plans. For example, Sarkaria could not say Thursday how long a runway the government is hoping to build as part of the expansion – a key detail in terms of the impact to the surrounding area.

The government also said in a statement that it would do its best to “mitigate” the impact on the park.

But Chow accused the province Friday of looking to “pave over” the green space.

“It doesn’t take a big stretch of the imagination,” she said, referring to possible plans for the area. “There’s a parking lot over there. If they want to expand the airport, they want to park the car somewhere.”

The mayor has threatened legal action to try stop the park takeover and wants the federal government to block the move.

Separately, the Toronto Port Authority – a federal agency that is a party to the tripartite agreement governing the airport lands – told CP24.com in a statement that it is “committed to modernizing the airport in a way that aligns with community priorities and the broader vision for Toronto’s waterfront.”

“As part of that approach, we will work with the city, province and our immediate neighbours to help ensure equal or greater overall park space for Little Norway Park, including new and enhanced access to waterfront land for the park and measures to reduce congestion in surrounding areas.”

A number of other also spoke out against the expropriation Friday, including area MPP Chris Glover.

“The premier’s latest land grab reeks of the same tactics we saw with the Greenbelt, Ontario Place, and the Science Centre,” Glover said in a statement.

He said there will be even less transparency now that the Ford government passed a budget that included a provision to exempt Ford and his ministers from Freedom of Information Laws.

The controversial legislation passed its final vote in the legislature Thursday and received royal ascent Friday.