Closing the airport brings new opportunities
Dear Rob:
Yes, you are right. Some do like the Island Airport, but does that mean we can never have change?
You have a couple of things wrong. The airport was opened in 1938. The Island community has been there since 1880. The airport replaced a dearly loved amusement park on Hanlan's Point. It was fiercely opposed by many at the time but the Conservatives of the day on City Council prevailed and the airport was approved.
There is one historical footnote that you might find of interest. In the 1935 federal election the Island Airport was a key political issue in Toronto. R.B. Bennett, the Conservative Prime Minister had promised to build a tunnel under the Western Gap to the airport. It was approved before the election and the construction was actually underway when the election result led to the defeat of the Conservatives. The new Prime Minister, Mackenzie King, immediately stopped construction of the tunnel and it was never completed. It remains to be seen if history will repeat itself with Mark McQueen's pedestrian tunnel, but it does seem like a fascinating possibility.
Some people, and you seem to be one of them Rob, believe that because the airport was there before the Bathurst Quay community was built, that means that it has the right to stay there forever, but that makes no sense. If that was the rule it would mean that we could never build a new road, or construct a building or literally change anything in a city. That obviously makes no sense. Cities change, and change rapidly, and we have to adapt our infrastructure to meet new demands.
The change on the Waterfront has been remarkable over the last few years. New communities have been built and thousands of new residents have been attracted to live on the Waterfront because they like the lifestyle and want to live close to the lake. It is projected another 100,000 new residents will come to live and another 100,000 will come to work on the Waterfront by the time the massive renewal project is completed. Incidentally the Toronto Waterfront project is the largest urban renewal project in North America, costing in the neighbourhood of 100 billion dollars in private and public money when it is finished.
Those are the reasons why the airport must close. It is incompatible with the redevelopment of the Waterfront. It might be a little more inconvenient for a few people, though I think the hardship it will cause is wildly exaggerated, but that is the cost of building a city where the quality of life is taken seriously. Porter passengers will have to go to Pearson along with the airline and Porter will survive or fail depending if there is a demand for their service or not.
But think of the wonderful new opportunities that those 230 acres of airport lands will bring to the people of Toronto. That will make all of the controversy worthwhile.
Bill Freeman
Yes, you are right. Some do like the Island Airport, but does that mean we can never have change?
You have a couple of things wrong. The airport was opened in 1938. The Island community has been there since 1880. The airport replaced a dearly loved amusement park on Hanlan's Point. It was fiercely opposed by many at the time but the Conservatives of the day on City Council prevailed and the airport was approved.
There is one historical footnote that you might find of interest. In the 1935 federal election the Island Airport was a key political issue in Toronto. R.B. Bennett, the Conservative Prime Minister had promised to build a tunnel under the Western Gap to the airport. It was approved before the election and the construction was actually underway when the election result led to the defeat of the Conservatives. The new Prime Minister, Mackenzie King, immediately stopped construction of the tunnel and it was never completed. It remains to be seen if history will repeat itself with Mark McQueen's pedestrian tunnel, but it does seem like a fascinating possibility.
Some people, and you seem to be one of them Rob, believe that because the airport was there before the Bathurst Quay community was built, that means that it has the right to stay there forever, but that makes no sense. If that was the rule it would mean that we could never build a new road, or construct a building or literally change anything in a city. That obviously makes no sense. Cities change, and change rapidly, and we have to adapt our infrastructure to meet new demands.
The change on the Waterfront has been remarkable over the last few years. New communities have been built and thousands of new residents have been attracted to live on the Waterfront because they like the lifestyle and want to live close to the lake. It is projected another 100,000 new residents will come to live and another 100,000 will come to work on the Waterfront by the time the massive renewal project is completed. Incidentally the Toronto Waterfront project is the largest urban renewal project in North America, costing in the neighbourhood of 100 billion dollars in private and public money when it is finished.
Those are the reasons why the airport must close. It is incompatible with the redevelopment of the Waterfront. It might be a little more inconvenient for a few people, though I think the hardship it will cause is wildly exaggerated, but that is the cost of building a city where the quality of life is taken seriously. Porter passengers will have to go to Pearson along with the airline and Porter will survive or fail depending if there is a demand for their service or not.
But think of the wonderful new opportunities that those 230 acres of airport lands will bring to the people of Toronto. That will make all of the controversy worthwhile.
Bill Freeman
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