Online backlash to a survey about Toronto’s island airport is growing, with many respondents speaking out about what they say are leading questions designed to manufacture support for an expansion project being pushed by Ontario’s premier.
“Is the public consultation on the future of Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport a sham?” asks Toronto author Lloyd Alter in a Substack post. “Anyone looking at the leading questions in the SurveyMonkey survey might think so.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has long pushed for runway expansion and jet traffic at Billy Bishop Airport, and in recent weeks, his government passed legislation allowing for a hostile takeover of the city’s stake in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport.
The other two stakes are held by federal agencies, and while Prime Minister Mark Carney told CBC News he “hasn’t formed an opinion” on Premier Doug Ford’s plan, his government has embarked on public consultations on the proposal.
However, the survey has proven to be as controversial as the expansion itself.
Community groups and residents directly impacted by the proposed expansion note the consultations are open to people across Canada and say there’s no way to verify who is responding or if the feedback gathered accurately reflects key demographics.
Charlene Eales, a member of the Carleton Village/Silverthorn Residents' Association, took to the group’s Facebook page to raise concerns with the survey’s wording.
“The questions on this survey are skewed to support Billy Bishop Airport expansion,” she wrote. “It's important you use the comment sections to clearly state all the reasons this expansion is not a good idea.”
In an Instagram reel, Toronto resident Elliott Gallagher-Doucette noted that the survey’s fifth question was changed partway into the consultation process, something he said raises further questions about the validity of the survey.
“Kind of insane to open a public consultation and then change it partway through,” Gallagher-Doucette told his followers, noting the question’s original wording didn’t allow respondents to state whether or not they supported airport expansion.
He urged Torontonians to fill out the survey, but to also email their thoughts directly to the department as well.
Tim Grey, executive director of Environmental Defence, addressed survey concerns in a blog post last week.
“The wording of several of the questions appears designed to solicit support for the jet airport proposal,” he wrote, adding the survey uses misleading phrases like “changes to runways” rather than describing those changes as major expansions.
The proposed island airport expansion, which Open Jaw has reported on extensively, would see 10 million passengers pass through the airport annually, a substantial jump from the two million passengers it currently serves.
Information released by the Toronto Port Authority suggests the island airport’s main 1,218-metre runway would be lengthened by about 600 metres if the expansion goes ahead. A 150-metre safety buffer will also be constructed for safety, in addition to any shoreline buffers.
The changes would allow narrow-body jets, such as the Airbus A220 and the Embraer E195 E-2 already used by Porter at Pearson International, to operate from Billy Bishop.
Open Jaw reached out to Transport Canada for comment, but did not receive a response by publication.
A statement on the department’s website said the consultation “will help inform the Government of Canada on the priorities of Torontonians, Ontarians, and Canadians as it relates to any potential changes to the airport and Toronto’s waterfront.”
