Toronto Today
Aidan Chamandy
20 May 2026
Building out Billy Bishop Airport is expected to take as long as 25 years and cost up to $5 billion, according to the head of the federal agency leading the redesign plans.
“This is not an overnight investment,” said Roelof-Jan (RJ) Steenstra, CEO of the Toronto Port Authority (TPA), while testifying Tuesday at a Queen’s Park committee. “This will take time to ensure that we're meeting the needs.”
Further, Steenstra said the money won’t come from taxpayers. He left the door open to potentially using some federal money, but said he hasn’t yet made any requests of Ottawa.
Premier Doug Ford recently mused about using public money to fund his airport expansion plans.
“Well, we're going to look at that along with, hopefully, the federal government, because they're going to benefit as well,” Ford said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has stayed relatively quiet on the expansion plans — despite being a key player in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport operations...
Billy Bishop Airport expansion to take 25 years: Port Authority CEO - TorontoToday.ca - 20 May 2026
