What to know
- Doug Ford’s government purchased a $28.9 million private jet for provincial travel.
- Opposition leaders, including Marit Stiles and John Fraser, criticized the move as out of touch amid rising living costs.
- Advocacy group NoJetsTO suggests the purchase is linked to renewed plans to expand Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to accommodate jets.
A local resident-formed group is raising concerns after Ontario Premier Doug Ford purchased a private jet right after revisiting conversations about a Billy Bishop airport expansion.
The Ontario government bought a private jet for $28.9 million, which will be used by the premier to “support more certain, flexible, secure and confidential travel” across the country and within the province. According to his office, the aircraft is a pre-owned Bombardier Challenger 650, which was made in Canada in 2016.
“As part of the job of being Premier of Ontario, there is extensive travel within Ontario, a province twice the landmass of Texas. This is in addition to travel across Canada for Council of the Federation and First Ministers’ Meetings, which have increased in frequency, as well as travel to the United States to help make the case against President Trump’s tariffs,” a spokesperson for the premier’s office said in a statement to Now Toronto.
The premier’s office also emphasized that the aircraft is significantly cheaper than the Quebec fleet, which it says is $107 million, as well as the federal government’s new $753-million fleet of six Global 6500 jets.
The premier’s purchase sparked reaction from opposing party leaders.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles called out the premier for spending taxpayer money on the jet, pointing out that people in the province are dealing with higher grocery and gas prices.
“He should be flying economy like the rest of us,” she said. “Groceries are up about 30 per cent in just a few years. Gas is up 33 per cent in the last few months. And 1,000 people a day are being treated in hospital hallways.”
In an interview with Newstalk1010, Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser also criticized the purchase, calling it “out of touch”
“People can’t afford groceries and gas and Doug Ford is buying himself a jet? That is tired and out of touch,” he reportedly said.
Advocacy group raises concerns
Meanwhile, local resident-formed advocacy group NoJetsTO’s Chair Norman Di Pasquale is raising a different concern.
In a press release on Friday, Di Pasquale suggested that the premier’s latest jet purchase could be connected with his interest in expanding Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport.
“The timing of Ford’s purchase of his taxpayer funded ‘Gravy Plane’ and his sudden interest in expanding the island airport is not a coincidence,” he said.
The idea of expanding the Billy Bishop airport was first explored by Toronto City Council in 2013, but the project didn’t move forward due to public disapproval.
However, earlier this year, Ford started pushing on the subject, having revealed plans to expand the airport during a Toronto Region Board of Trade dinner on Feb. 26., including plans to expand its runway to allow for jets.
Last month, the premier announced the province would be taking over the airport from the city and declaring it a special economic zone to allow for development.
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Following the premier’s purchase reports, Di Pasquale raised concerns about the timing of the plans, suggesting that the premier is pushing on the expansion for his personal use.
“For eight years Premier Ford has not said a single word about the island airport, and suddenly he’s hell bent on [expanding] the airport to allow him to fly Gravy Plane jet from there,” he said in a statement.
“Ford continues to make decisions affecting Torontonians with the sole focus of him being able to get to work and his fundraisers across Ontario faster. Any other level of government that gets involved in this seemingly corrupt process will now be tarred with Ford’s taxpayer funded Gravy Plane.”
Meanwhile, the premier’s office told Now Toronto the newly-purchased jet will operate out of Pearson airport.
