Toronto Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport | ?m | ?s | Ports Toronto | Arup

The Province is providing emergency funding to Ornge to keep operating out of Billy Bishop:

www.thestar.com

ORNGE’s island base kept open with $5 million in emergency funds from the province

COVID-19 hit the air ambulance service with a multi-million-dollar rent increase at Billy Bishop airport. Now it may have to leave its key helicopter base
www.thestar.com www.thestar.com

I remember when they moved out of Buttonville. I'm not sure what the rationale was since I don't know if its limited future was known back then. The article is a little confusing since it mentions a contingency alternative but also millions in renovations.
 
blacksquirrels said:
Like I said weeks ago bring back Harbour City. That was the plan decades ago and it makes a lot more sense than a boutique airport barely anyone uses.

View attachment 244812

http://www.developmentoftoronto.com/the-big-bet-the-toronto-harbour-commission-the-leslie-street-spit-airport-and-the-birth-of-torontos-urban-reform-movement/
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I'd be ok with this. A canal city mirroring the one planned for the Portland, integrating the city into the islands with part of the airport designated for integration into the grid and a segment given back to the rest of the island which would remain a park. I like it.
 
blacksquirrels said:
Like I said weeks ago bring back Harbour City. That was the plan decades ago and it makes a lot more sense than a boutique airport barely anyone uses.

View attachment 244812

http://www.developmentoftoronto.com/the-big-bet-the-toronto-harbour-commission-the-leslie-street-spit-airport-and-the-birth-of-torontos-urban-reform-movement/
Click to expand...
Yes lets do this or something similar, I agree no use having an under utilized airport taking up something that could potentially be real beautiful and build out more islands like the picture shows. They are doing great with the Cherry st. improvement there, now the question is how do we get this some exposure so other people can talk about it seriously.
 
Interestingly enough STOVL flight is starting to go more mainstream as tiltrotors get more efficient outside of military applications.

I am going to laugh when the day comes that there's more helicopter and tiltrotor traffic landing in downtown Toronto. The folks who were complaining about possible jets at the Island are going to wish those were bizjets and RJs instead.
 
picard102 said:
The airport should stay. It's valuable infrastructure in a strategic location.
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I've argued this before. The only way I'd would personal support closure is if High Speed Rail was available out of Union to keep the competitive pricing pressure on airlines. The value of additional park space is not anywhere close to the value of what Porter does to keep airlines honest in the Corridor.
 
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Chicago also had a downtown airport.......sorta on an island.

But its gone now, and a nature preserve is taking hold.

www.architecture.org

Northerly Island

<p>Unveiled as an eco-park in 2015, Northerly Island finally resembles the vision Daniel Burnham had for it in 1909. This artificial, but historically significant, spit of land was once used as an airport. Now it’s a refuge from the city’s bustle.</p>
www.architecture.org www.architecture.org

1600266812683.png
 
Northern Light said:
Chicago also had a downtown airport.......sorta on an island.

But its gone now, and a nature preserve is taking hold.

www.architecture.org

Northerly Island

<p>Unveiled as an eco-park in 2015, Northerly Island finally resembles the vision Daniel Burnham had for it in 1909. This artificial, but historically significant, spit of land was once used as an airport. Now it’s a refuge from the city’s bustle.</p>
www.architecture.org www.architecture.org

View attachment 269788
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This is... interesting.
"Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley forced the closing of Meigs [Airport] in 2003 by ordering the overnight bulldozing of its runway without notice, in violation of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. "
en.wikipedia.org

Meigs Field - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
sche said:
This is... interesting.
"Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley forced the closing of Meigs [Airport] in 2003 by ordering the overnight bulldozing of its runway without notice, in violation of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. "
en.wikipedia.org

Meigs Field - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
Click to expand...

I remember that.

The Daley family was a tad controversial in their ruling of Chicago for 2 generations.

Some might have suggested that the Daleys might have felt the law was for other people.

Certainly, they were disinclined to view any idea they pushed as facing insurmountable barriers.

Needless to say I agree w/the outcome of the decision here but I am disinclined to defend the methods.
 
robmausser said:
being a corrupt politician is basically a prerequisite to running in Illinois/Chicago
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But they got stuff done and its hard to argue with the result. Chicago did two things we have debated in Toronto for decades. Buried a major expressway and decommissioned a downtown island Airport.

Chicago's waterfront is one of the nicest I have seen in North America.

All that said, for what it is worth, i dont think we should close billy bishop Airport.
 
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