No promise for airport closure from minister

In her closing remarks at a May 1 city hall meeting held by Community AIR, activist Sue Sparrow may have left the impression that her group has some sort of understanding from Federal Transport Minister David Collenette that he will surely close down Toronto City Centre Airport.

Although in January, Collenette suggested the island airport wouldn't be needed if a rail link from Union Station to Pearson International Airport were to be built, he has not, according to staff, made any verbal commitment to anyone at Community AIR.

"The airport is in the public debate stage," Collenette's communication director Anthony Polci told Toronto Free Press in a telephone interview. "And we're not expecting it to be over soon."

There are other bodies who would have a say in the future of the local airport, not the least of them city council and the Toronto Port Authority which manages the airport, Polci said.

Collenette's communication director gave an analogy when pressed by TFP about its perceived fervour of Community AIR in leaving the impression that the minister had given his promise for closure of the airport: "Well, it's a debate where some are saying no jets will be allowed while other people are saying that jets already land there."

The Toronto City Centre Airport was the subject of our cover story in August of 1995 when Toronto Free Press, then Our Toronto encouraged the mayor and council of the day: "Don't Lose Control!"

As far as the city is concerned a lot has changed since then. Rather than the former old city of Toronto, we have now amalgamated into megacity.

But as far as the Toronto City Centre Airport is concerned, it is still under fierce attack from a small but vociferous group of self-serving activists. The players may have changed but the game remains the same. In 1995, it was Mary Hay leading the battle cry to close down the airport. In 2002, we have Allan Sparrow.

Ironically, the slogan activists yell at City Hall, "Stop the jets" is exactly what they will be bringing to Toronto if the councillors they hold hostage vote against expansion. If the activists get what they want, city council must hand over the keys to the federal transportation minister.

The Feds--who have much less interest in our city than do our councillors both left and right--are ready to take the airport back and hand it over to the GTTAA which manages Pearson International and its current mega-development. The agencies used to governing large national airports would be ready to fund any airport without any limitations on the aircraft type, runway expansion, jets and unlimited frequency of operations to support that kind of bigtime airport.

Our island airport could claim true distinction as a valid historic site. More than 35,000 pilots, many of whom graduated into the major airlines, trained there.

In short, Toronto's island airport lives up to its worldwide reputation as a jewel in Toronto's crown both economic and aesthetic, which should be nurtured not stunted.

The airport debate won't be returning to the local council chamber until some time in October. Allan Sparrow and his band of malcontents will not go away during the summer. Life and getting their own way on the Toronto Islands is too easy.

Toronto Free Press proudly endorses the Toronto business community in asking council "Don't lose control!" In 1995 and in 2002 the message is the same because to do less would be to sell our future and our waterfront to an independant agency..