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Or sign-in if you have an account.Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto Island. Photo by Adobe StockA great moment in Doug Ford-ism occurred in recent days, to much cheering from Toronto’s downtown-urbanist set. The Ontario premier had declared that the city’s little downtown airport needs major expansion, both in terms of runway length (in order to accommodate small passenger jets versus the current turboprops) and in terms of takeoffs and landings (perhaps increasing five-fold, Ford had blithely mused).Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. 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Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorLast week, Prime Minister Mark Carney essentially brought the hammer down: “Nope!”The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe Ford government’s case was never compelling. “By expanding capacity at Billy Bishop Airport, the province will help meet future demand in southern Ontario, reduce pressure at Toronto Pearson International Airport, increase competition in the air travel sector to support more routes and cheaper flights, and support the creation of good-paying jobs in Ontario’s aviation, tourism and construction sectors,” its press release burbled. Specifics were few and vague, allowing the idea’s opponents to flood the zone with many specific potential catastrophes: deafening noise, squinting coal-stained urchins wandering around as if in Wales in 1825, etc. Construction jobs are a pretty lousy reason to build an airport or anything else. I’m not sure why it would have necessarily led to “more routes”: You can’t currently fly anywhere out of the Island Airport that you can’t from Pearson. And no short-haul wee-jet airport in downtown Toronto (you would never even see a Boeing 737 under this plan, never mind anything bigger) is going to remedy the fundamental factors that straitjacket competition in federally regulated industries like airlines. If politicians wanted to take on those fat-and-happy incumbents, they would. They don’t, even though many Canadians loathe those fat-and-happy incumbents. (In many countries, surely, this would be considered compelling circumstantial evidence of some sort of corruption.)Ford’s real killer defence of the idea, as it often has been during his career, is that it’s what “the people want.” He cited an internal poll, that showed 70 per cent support, but we weren’t permitted to see it. Public polling suggested it was more like 50/50. So now Ford is somewhat diminished, at a time when he can’t really afford it: Polls suggest his Tories could be neck-and-neck with a provincial Liberal party that doesn’t even have a leader. And Carney’s federal Liberals get to act like they acted purely on principle, though it mysteriously took weeks for them to do it. Nothing has gotten better in politics or at the Island Airport. Things might have gotten worse.As it stands, the airport is a cool little waterfront feature. But it is definitely losing some of its advantage. If you want to get from City Hall to the lounge by 5 p.m. on a weekday, which is 3.5 kilometres by road, Google Maps suggests you budget more than half an hour in a cab to lurch your way, bug-eyed, through downtown traffic.Public transit takes longer and isn’t very good, which is one of the airport’s little ironies. Reagan National Airport is served by two lines on the Washington Metro. London’s City Airport is served by the Docklands Light Railway, the Tube, and ferries that run up and down the Thames.Toronto’s Island Airport is served by a couple of streetcars or a shuttle bus. And there is no realistic prospect of fixing the traffic or the public transit. A critical mass of decision-makers and their unelected staff at City Hall don’t think you should be driving at all, for any reason, and also that Island Airport shouldn’t exist in any form. (I actually agree with the latter point, but only as a very long-term goal.)Meanwhile, public-transit options to Pearson are improving. And other regional airports provide far more compelling alternatives to Pearson than the Island — Hamilton, Waterloo, London — because they have much longer runways than the Island will ever have. Ford should wish he had stumped for those instead. It’s not too late.Chris Selley cselley@postmedia.com Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.