Majority of Billy Bishop airport users rate experience as positive

Toronto Port Authority Press Release | September 5, 2013

Estimated reading time 5 minutes, 36 seconds.

An annual survey released on Sept. 4 by the Toronto Port Authority (TPA) reveals that 85 per cent of Toronto residents ‘agree’ that ‘Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is an important part of Toronto’s future economic growth’.
The public opinion survey, which was conducted by Ipsos Reid between July 29 and August 9, 2013, polled a representative, randomly selected sample of 700 adults living in Toronto, included 300 who live downtown, South of Queen Street.  The TPA began these annual surveys in 2007.
“This year’s survey demonstrates that a large number of Torontonians are embracing the airport, and recognize its valuable contributions to the city. Torontonians are also in favour of exploring changes to the airport including Porter Airlines’ proposal to have the CS100 aircraft flying out of Billy Bishop Airport, which will be addressed by City Council over the coming months” said TPA President and CEO, Geoffrey Wilson.
“The Porter proposal requires careful consideration, and we understand why some thoughtful members of City Council are looking to the TPA as the airport’s operator for some insight regarding how we might tackle this important issue.” added Mark McQueen, TPA Chairman. “Later this Fall, the TPA will outline some of the benchmarks we will apply should we find ourselves in a position of having to formally consider the Porter Proposal.  In the meantime, our staff will continue to support the work of Deputy City Manager John Livey and the rest of the City of Toronto team who are fully engaged on the issue.”
The survey reveals that a third of the city’s residents have flown out of the airport and that 96 per cent of these residents have had a positive experience travelling through Billy Bishop Airport. Of those polled, six in ten (60 per cent) Torontonians and 50 per cent of those living south of Queen support the use of jet aircraft at Billy Bishop provided they make no more noise than the current Q400 aircraft. Almost nine in ten (86 per cent) of those surveyed ‘agree’ that Billy Bishop Airport ‘is great for the economy of Toronto’ – including 81 per cent of those living downtown south of Queen. Additionally, most of the city’s residents (85 per cent) believe the airport is a great gateway, with the vast majority (87 per cent) saying it is a valuable asset for the city. 
The survey also shows that Torontonians believe the airport should make Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILTs) to the City of Toronto that are either the same (48 per cent) or lower (37 per cent) than what Pearson Airport pays to its host municipalities on a per passenger basis.  On April 3, 2013, Toronto City Council rejected the advice of its Solicitor and Treasurer who recommended that Council accept the TPA’s offer of $0.94 per passenger for the airport’s PILT. This is the same amount paid by Pearson Airport to its host municipalities.
Some of the 2013 survey’s other key findings are:
• Nearly nine in ten (87 per cent) Torontonians ‘agree’ that the airport is a valuable asset for the city of Toronto.
• The overall experience of passengers travelling through the airport has been positive (96 per cent)
• One in three (32 per cent) Torontonians have used Billy Bishop Airport
• The average Torontonian has used Billy Bishop Airport more than twice (2.1 times) and the average user has travelled through the airport on nearly seven occasions (6.7 times)
• A majority of airport users (54 per cent) believe the Tripartite Agreement should be extended beyond 2033
• A vast majority of Torontonians (82 per cent) agree that having the pedestrian tunnel project financed by fees collected by passengers, and not from taxpayers, is the right approach
• Nine in ten (90 per cent) Torontonians ‘agree’ that ‘the Toronto Port Authority provides important economic benefits to the City of Toronto’
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Toronto Port Authority. For the survey, the representative randomly selected sample of 700 adults living in Toronto was interviewed by telephone. Ipsos Reid employed weighting to balance demographics and ensure that the sample’s composition reflected that of the adult population according to Census data.
A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100 per cent response rate would have an estimated margin of error of sample of ± 3.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Toronto been polled. 
The margin of error would be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to, methodology change, coverage error and measurement error.

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