Thunder Bay, ON — Prime MinisterMark Carneyis not ruling out ever allowing jets to land at Toronto’s island airport, but he is focused for now on a broader transportation picture, he noted Wednesday.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford had pitched a plan to expandBilly BishopToronto Municipality Airport to allow jets to land, framing it as a way to boost the economy. It was an idea Carney at one point remarked was “interesting,” but his government would later nix it. “Interesting’ has a quite wide range of meanings,” Carney noted at a press conference Wednesday when asked about it.
The land is governed as a tripartite agreement that was formerly between the municipality of Toronto, the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority, which is a federal agency, but the province took over the city’s role earlier this year. Carney’s government rejected Ford’s vision last month following a consultation largely opposed to the idea of jets. The results of the consultation were clear, Carney declared, but “forever is a long time.” His government is developing a “comprehensive” approach to transportation, touching on airports large and regional as well as rail, he shared. “(Billy Bishop) is a small part of a much bigger puzzle, and we need to focus on those other puzzle pieces,” Carney stated.
Carney’s government rejected Ford’s vision last month following a consultation largely opposed to the idea of jets.
Sources who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to share internal discussions have declared Ford and Carney had a handshake deal in which the province supported Carney’s high-speed rail plan in exchange for federal support for the airport expansion. However, when asked Wednesday if he ever told Ford he would greenlight the undertaking, Carney declared no..
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📍 Source: Global News Thunder Bay · By: Global News Staff · 🗓️ August 05, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
