A Facebook friend was railing about Olivia Chow this morning, because they heard Chow say she would work to close the Island airport. This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone as that has always been her stance, but voters have short memories. Could this be an Achilles’ heel in her campaign? Or a boost?
I believe it could be an Achilles' heel in her campaign *provided* any of her opponents were to raise it as an issue. Commercial flights have been operating out of Billy Bishop for decades now (going back 50 years) and I would bet that a large percentage of Toronto resident's will have at one time or another used the airport and will have had a good experience from the convenience of a downtown airport.
I live downtown and have always preferred flying out of the Island if possible. You have the convenience of a short TTC ride to the terminal (or a short walk if you live near the waterfront!) and a more relaxed experience inside the terminal. I also love the exhilarating views of the Toronto skyline on take-off and landing at Billy Bishop. You don't get that flying out of Pearson! The ONLY problem with Billy Bishop is the lack of destinations!
If I was running against Chow, not only would I make her pledge to shut down Billy Bishop a major plank in my platform, I would also run on extending the length of the runway to allow larger "jets" to operate from the airport. Porter Airlines has a growing fleet of Embraer E-2 airliners that could open up destinations across North America and beyond. For that matter Air Canada could operate it's growing fleet of (Canadian made) Airbus A220's from an extended runway. Past proposals to extend the runway were loudly opposed by the private yacht clubs around the harbor but how many residents of Toronto are fortunate enough to have a yacht moored in the Toronto harbor? I don't have one! Why was this wealthy elite allowed to dictate such an important decision for the rest of us?
The idea of shutting down Billy Bishop is an outmoded idea much like the idea of tearing down the Gardiner Expressway. Perhaps fifty years ago these seemed like good ideas. Fifty years ago few people had experienced the convenience of taking a commercial flight from the Island. Fifty years ago the Gardiner was not boxed in by condo's on both sides rendering it invisible, i.e. out of sight out of mind!
Olivia Chow is a politician whose political positions are rooted-in and stuck-in the 1980's (basically the identical positions of her husband Jack who has been dead for almost 12 years). I can't understand how her platform would resonate with the voters of today. Someone needs to ask Chow how shutting down Billy Bishop airport will solve the problems that Toronto residents are facing NOW! Will it make life better for the thousands of residents whose employment depends on Billy Bishop? Will it make life better for the thousands of downtown residents who currently enjoy the convenience of a downtown airport? Who will benefit and how?
Of course Chow's pledge to close Billy Bishop will only be an Achilles' heel for her campaign if one of her opponents makes it an issue. I would think this would be a perfect issue for Anthony Furey to raise but he strikes me as one of these timid "conservatives" who is afraid to take on any issue that may have a tinge of "controversy" to it. They think it is much safer to just sit on the fence. Who else will make this an issue?
If anyone has a good argument for shutting down Billy Bishop I would love to hear it.