Ford calls Carney’s airport investment plan “fabulous,” wants Billy Bishop on board

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is throwing his support behind Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan to bring private investment into the operations of Canada’s four largest airports – and he wants Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) included, too.

Speaking at an unrelated press conference Wednesday (Sept. 16), Ford called the federal government’s airport proposal "fabulous,” CBC News reported.

The premier has been pushing for an expansion of Billy Bishop that would allow the downtown Toronto airport to accommodate jets, continuing his efforts even after the federal government rejected the proposal.

Carney, however, left the door slightly open last month, saying that while the results of a consultation that drew mostly negative responses were clear, he was not ruling out an expansion forever.

Ford said Wednesday that Billy Bishop represents an ideal candidate for private investment, describing the project as "shovel ready" and arguing that it would deliver economic benefits.

"It's not about the government funding everything. We have billions and billions, hundreds of billions, actually over a trillion of pension fund money…We're encouraging all of Ontario and Canadian pension funds to invest, invest into our airports, invest into our nuclear, and invest into the (electricity) distribution," he said.

Ottawa targets four major airports

Carney announced Tuesday (Sept. 15) that the federal government will seek private investment through long-term concessions to operate Toronto Pearson International Airport, Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, Calgary International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.

Under the proposal, Ottawa would retain ownership of the underlying land and assets while bringing private capital and expertise into airport operations and growth.

READ MORE: Carney seeks private investment to operate Canada’s four biggest airports

Money raised through the initiative would be reinvested into infrastructure, including regional airports and improved regional and remote air connections.

The proposal represents a significant potential shift in Canada's airport governance model, which for more than three decades has relied on locally governed, non-share capital airport authorities to operate many of the country's largest airports.

Unifor pushes back

The proposal has already drawn opposition from Unifor, which took its concerns directly to the Canada Investment Summit 2026 in Toronto on Monday (Sept. 14).

Members of Unifor's Aviation Council staged a protest earlier this week at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, declaring that “Canada’s airports are not for sale.”

"Airport workers know from experience that privatization comes at a cost to them and the travelling public and creates worse working conditions across the aviation industry," said Unifor National President Lana Payne in a press release.

"Outsourcing and contract flipping already drive down wages, benefits and working conditions, further public selloffs can only make this crisis worse for airport workers. We have seen over and over again, how the sell off of public infrastructure leaves us more vulnerable economically. If there was ever a time to hold the line and build more public infrastructure, it is now."

Meanwhile, the Canadian Airports Council (CAC) is urging Ottawa to keep affordability, connectivity and reinvestment in Canada's aviation system front and centre as the government moves forward with its plans to attract private capital to the four airports.

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