The Ontario government has officially introduced the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026.
If passed; the Act would allow the province to take over the City of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport, as well as take ownership of the city-owned lands at the airport in exchange for fair compensation.
The legislation marks a milestone in the province’s plan to support long-term modernisation and expansion of Billy Bishop Airport, helping to meet future demand in southern Ontario, reduce pressure at Toronto Pearson International Airport, increase competition in the air travel sector, and support the creation of thousands of jobs within Ontario’s aviation, tourism and construction sectors.
Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, said:This legislation is the next step in our government’s work to unlock Billy Bishop Airport’s full potential and support its long-term modernisation and expansion.
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 Act; city-owned parcels of land have been identified and earmarked to support future airport expansion, with the province 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.
Serving roughly 2 million passengers per year; Billy Bishop Airport connects Toronto to over 20 cities across both Canada and the United States.
