The federal Liberals are committed to blocking jets from operating out of Toronto's Island airport, refusing to reopen the argument. A member of the newly-elected Liberal caucus said it will not open the tripartite agreement between the federal Ministry of Transportation, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Port Authority. Porter Airlines has been pushing to expand airport runways by 200 metres on each end to make room for jets to land there. MP Adam Vaughan confirmed to CTV Toronto's Janice Golding Tuesday, that jets will not be permitted to fly in or out of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. "We've made a promise, we will keep that promise. No jets on the waterfront," Vaughan said last month, when he was re-elected as MP of Spadina-Fort York. The decision was also made clear in June, in a letter from the Harper government to Toronto Mayor John Tory: "We have pledged not to re-open the tripartite agreement." The letter, obtained by CTV News on Tuesday, was dated June 4, 2015. "We are really happy that this issue is dead at least so that the waterfront can be for all of Toronto and not just one big industry," NoJetsTO Vice-Chair Laura Cooper said Tuesday. Denying the expansion means large jets are not able to land at the downtown location. As a result, passengers will not be able to travel directly from BBTCA to far-flung destinations beyond the east coast of North America. In April, 2013, Porter signed a $2-billion deal with Bombardier to purchase 12 C-series jets, which would allow them to fly passengers to destinations as far as Vancouver, Los Angeles and the Caribbean. The airline also signed a conditional agreement to buy another 18 jets unless the expansion was denied. In a statement to CTV Toronto, the airline said it continues to support a review, and hopes to meet with the new government directly in the future. "We're hopeful that the city and federal government will ultimately be supportive of this proposal based on a factual analysis, which includes many benefits," Porter spokesperson Brad Cicero said in an email. "It is relevant to people and politicians across the country based on creating 2,000 jobs, lowering airfares though competition, and supporting Canada's aerospace industry." With a report from CTV Toronto's Janice Golding
