Ontario Introducing Legislation to Support the Expansion of Billy Bishop Airport

Province taking next step to meet increasing demand, improve competition in the air travel sector and support the creation of thousands of good-paying jobs

the Ontario government introduced the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 that would, if passed, allow the province to take over the City of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport and take ownership of the city-owned lands at the airport in exchange for fair compensation. The proposed legislation marks an important step in the province’s plan to support the long-term modernization and expansion of Billy Bishop Airport to help meet future demand in southern Ontario, reduce pressure at Toronto Pearson International Airport, increase competition in the air travel sector to support more routes and cheaper flights, and support the creation of thousands of good-paying jobs in Ontario’s aviation, tourism and construction sectors.

“This legislation is the next step in our government’s work to unlock Billy Bishop Airport’s full potential and support its long-term modernization and expansion,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “As Ontario grows, expanding Billy Bishop will help meet rising travel demand, improve connectivity, support tourism and business travel, and create thousands of good-paying jobs.”

As part of the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026, city-owned parcels of land have been identified to support future airport expansion. The province is working with the Toronto Port Authority, Transport Canada and the City of Toronto to complete the necessary due diligence, including carefully assessing those parcels and developing a fair compensation framework. Any decisions on land requirements will be informed by the due diligence process, in collaboration with our partners.

Billy Bishop Airport currently serves approximately two million passengers each year, connecting Toronto to more than 20 cities across Canada and the United States. The airport also contributes $900 million to Ontario’s GDP and generates $1.8 billion in economic output annually. Under the Toronto Port Authority’s modernization plan, Billy Bishop Airport would serve millions more passengers each year, contribute up to $8.5 billion to Canada’s GDP annually by 2050 and support 23,000 construction jobs.

Quick Facts

• The Toronto Port Authority’s modernization plan for Billy Bishop Airport includes updates to the tripartite agreement to allow modern jet aircraft, changes to the runway and enhancements to the terminal building and waterfront.
• Expanding Billy Bishop Airport would generate up to $140 billion in economic output over 25 years by creating good-paying jobs, attracting investment, enhancing regional and international connectivity and supporting Ontario’s tourism sector.
• While one of the parcels of land under consideration includes approximately one-third of Little Norway Park alongside Eireann Quay, the province will work with all partners, including the Toronto Port Authority and the City of Toronto, to mitigate any potential impact on the park resulting from the airport’s future expansion.