Beaches-East York has a federal by-election happening on August 31st. As a waterfront riding, we think it’s important that voters have clarity on this issue. That’s why TEA asked federal MP candidates in Beaches-East York where they stand on jets at Toronto’s island airport.

TEA worked alongside NoJetsTO and many other groups to fight back against the provincial proposal to add jets to Toronto’s Island Airport, which would have been a disaster for our city. Together, we succeeded in getting a commitment from the federal government in July that they would not support allowing jets at the Toronto Island Airport.

However, subsequent statements have been ambiguous about whether the Federal government would support jets at the island airport in the future, and the Provincial government has continued to push for jets.

Here’s what we asked, and what we heard. 

Question:

If elected, will you oppose allowing jets at Toronto's Island Airport throughout your time in office as a Member of Parliament?

Choose one:

Yes or no.

The answers:

To be transparent, our team debated how to handle the response from the Liberal Party of Canada candidate, Tanveer Shahnawaz, to our yes or no question. It involved a long series of words, and needed a follow up email to elicit a yes or no to our question. So we include the full responses from all candidates below so you can make up your own mind about what their responses mean. 

The full answers, in alphabetical order by candidate:

Shannon Devine, New Democratic Party of Canada:

"I can confirm that Shannon's answer to the one question survey is a big "YES"!"

Bruce Livesey, Green Party of Canada:

"My answer to the question on jets and the Toronto Island airport is Yes I would oppose jets being able to land at the airport."

Tanveer Shahnawaz, Liberal Party of Canada:

"Over the last several weeks, I’ve spoken with thousands of Beaches–East Yorkers, and I heard clearly how strongly people feel about protecting Toronto’s waterfront and their serious concerns about the future of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. 

My position on this issue is clear: I support the federal government’s decision to not proceed with the proposed expansion of Billy Bishop Airport to allow for jet aircraft, and focus exclusively on the already approved and required safety upgrades that are underway.

I am proud that the Government of Canada consulted with and listened to the voices of Torontonians and Beaches East-Yorkers on this issue. As you know, more than 87,000 responses were received through the federal public consultation, and the government listened to the serious concerns they heard in this process.

What I do support is the work the federal government is doing to advance major transportation infrastructure in the Greater Toronto Area, including expanding Pearson International Airport, advancing the Alto high-speed rail project, investing in GO Transit,  and studying how to make greater use of other underutilized regional airports.

If elected, I will continue to advocate for Beaches–East York residents and for the protection of Toronto’s waterfront. Any future proposals affecting the airport, or any part of our incredible waterfront, must respect our environment, our neighbourhoods and the quality of life of the people who live here. 

Beaches–East Yorkers should expect their MP to make sure their voices are heard in Ottawa, and that is exactly what I intend to do."

After follow up email asking for clarification on yes or no:

"Yes. I will continue to advocate for Beaches–East York residents and for the continued protection of Toronto’s waterfront."

Jim Syrbos, Conservative Party of Canada

No response.

Why did we ask this question?

We recently joined many allies including NoJetsTO in the campaign to oppose allowing jets at Toronto's Island Airport due to its potential harm to Toronto's environment and communities. If you a resident of the this riding you can take action here. More information about our campaign can be found here.

TEA's 60,000+ supporters across the city have made it extremely clear that they want their elected leaders to stand up and say no to polluting jets at the Island airport. 

Therefore, we think it's important for us to know where federal candidates stand on this issue, and whether they are willing to make a firm commitment to stand up in the face of continued provincial attempts to forge ahead. 

That’s why we decided to include the full responses to our questions instead of just the “yes” or “no” responses. Some of the responses were clearer than others - we’ll leave it with voters to decide how these questions land.