‘Pearson is a disaster’: Poilievre backs Toronto island airport expansion

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is backing the Ontario government’s move to expand Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, saying it would be great for the economy and increase competition. He made the comments only a short distance from Billy Bishop on Sunday while making a separate announcement on government debt.“This is great for the economy, for the environment and for convenience,” Poilievre said. “This is the business district of our biggest city, why would we not want business travellers to arrive in our business district?”Poilievre previously called on the federal government in 2022 to approve a runway expansion at the airport to allow jets to fly in and out of downtown.Echoing comments made then, the Conservative Party leader said it would help with competition in the aviation sector and reduce traffic congestion. Story continues below advertisement “It would take traffic off the highways between downtown and Pearson and it would allow us to expand our air transportation,” Poilievre said. “Also, Pearson is a disaster. Why is Pearson so bad? Because there is no competition for many of its flights. By extending the runway, Pearson would have to fight for more air transportation traffic and perform better.” 2:04 Toronto mayor fights back against