Province to name Toronto city airport a special economic zone

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is prepared to declare Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport the first special economic zone with the aim to take over city-owned land.

The Ford government is pushing for the expansion of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport so it can include jets.

The premier says the province is going to take over the City of Toronto’s position in the tripartite agreement that currently governs the land.

The agreement is between the city, the federal government, and the Toronto Port Authority.

Ford says “lefties” on city council are the reason he needs to take control of the land, saying they do not want to modernize the airport.

This is the first use of the Ford government’s controversial Bill 5, which allows the province to declare special economic zones and bypass provincial and municipal laws for any given project.

The announcement comes as the legislature sits for the first time since December.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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