City prepares to renew fight over island airport

Mayor David Miller has vowed to continue fighting the Toronto Port Authority, despite a federal report that criticized city officials fortheir treatment of the agency.

Commissioned by Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon in May, the report reviewed the operations of the port authority in controlling the Toronto Island Airport and parts of the waterfront.

The report's author, former federal bureaucrat Roger Tass, endorsed the actions of the port authority, a federal agency, in itsactions over the years, includingthe decision to build a bridge,make a payout tofirms after the cancellation of the bridge, and purchase a new ferry.

But Miller continued his attack of the port authority, calling it a "rogue agency."

Calling the report's findings "extremely tepid," Miller promised to hold the Conservative government accountable for its lack of action.

He said he plans to fight the Harper government in the next federal election by making the port authority report a major issue.

Opponents of the island airport have accused the port authority of thwarting the city's attempts at waterfront revitalization.

But other critics of the report wondered whether Miller should wait for the federal election to launch a political fight against the agency and federal government.

City council candidate and former politics reporter Adam Vaughan called on the city to act now to keep Porter Airlines from flying out of the waterfront airport.

He wants city council to kick the port authority off city-owned land.

"The city has a responsibility to thwart that airport."

Porter Airlines reignited debate over the waterfront airport when the new regional carrier began flying regularly scheduled flights between Ottawa and Toronto last month. Itplans to add flights to Montreal in mid-December.

Tass said the flights have had little effect on waterfront revitalization, saying the airline's Bombardier Q400 turboprops are very quiet.

Meanwhile, Porter Air CEO Robert Deluce urged all politicians to back off, saying politics has no place in deciding the matter.

The future of the airport will ultimately be decided by the market, he said.