The Greater Toronto Airports…

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) takes a strong interest in the land use requirements of the municipalities surrounding Toronto Pearson International Airport and regularly comments on the appropriate mix of land uses as they relate to airport operations. As such, the policies contained in the PPS, 2024 – particularly those directly affecting the operations and future growth of Toronto Pearson – are of strategic importance to the GTAA.

Toronto Pearson is currently advancing our Long-Term Investment in Facilities and Terminals (LIFT) Program – a decade long, multi-billion-dollar infrastructure program - to meet the growing demand for air travel and cargo services, which will serve the immediate and future growth needs of the region’s economy.

With that, the surrounding employment lands serve a dual purpose: supporting industrial and business growth while maintaining an essential buffer between the airport and residential communities. It is vitally important for the future of Toronto Pearson – and to the region and province’s economic benefit - to secure its growth potential by enacting compatible land use development within the Airport’s vicinity. That work requires municipal planning decisions that follow proper methodology and appropriately execute the policy intentions of PPS, 2024.

While the main objective of the updated Projection Methodology Guideline is to help municipalities develop and maintain accurate population and employment forecasts for land use needs, it is important to stress that such planning should be delivered by using standard and proven methods. Applying an equivalent to the former Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) process, rather than using ad-hoc planning decisions, should be prioritized for preserving existing employment and industrial lands.

This approach is particularly important in areas surrounding the airport, where loss of airport-supporting industrial employment lands, along with the introduction of incompatible, noise-sensitive uses can have a detrimental effect on current airport operations and its future growth.

In a time of growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty, the imperative to safeguard critical economic assets—particularly finite employment lands—is more urgent than ever.

Toronto Pearson is actively advancing the economic potential of the airport and the surrounding employment lands, collectively known as the Pearson Economic Zone (PEZ). 

At 200 square kilometres in size, the PEZ is Canada’s largest employment zone by geography and includes some of the country’s most valuable industrial and commercial real estate. Proximity to Toronto Pearson is essential for manufacturers and logistics firms that rely on direct access to global markets. With continued trade and tariff pressures, protecting and expanding Ontario and Canada’s manufacturing base is of provincial and national importance. 
 

The PEZ is home to more than 500,000 workers—representing 1 in 7 jobs in the Greater Toronto Area—and contains North America’s highest concentration of manufacturing businesses. It facilitates billions in international trade, contributing $70.6 billion in GDP annually, or 7% of Ontario’s total economic output. 

To this end, we recommend providing clear guidance on applying clauses 3.5.1 and 3.5.2 of the PPS, 2024, including a more descriptive and consistent definition of what constitutes “economic viability” when considering land conversions.