The Toronto Port Authority chairman appears to be leaning in favour of jets at the Island Airport. Mark McQueen has said that jets would be okay if they were — well — okay. He said Porter should not be permitted to exceed the current noise regulations nor create a “negative impact on the environment”. Mr. McQueen openly criticized opponents of the jet proposals saying they were using “fairy-tale suggestions” to describe the impact. The port authority is one of three parties to the agreement that prevents jets at the airport. The other parties are the federal government and the city. Mr. McQueen also warned that Transport Canada might order a 50-metre extension at each end of the island airport’s runway for safety reasons, regardless of the Porter Airline proposal. “We expect that as early as 36 months from now, Transport Canada will require every major commercial airport, including Billy Bishop, to install an extended (runway end safety area),” said Mr. McQueen. He was speaking at a luncheon speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
