One in Three (32%) Torontonians Have Used
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

Toronto, ON - One in three (32%) Torontonians have used Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, including half of those living downtown, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll of 700 Toronto residents (including 300 living downtown south of Queen Street) conducted on behalf of the Toronto Port Authority. The average Torontonian has used the airport 2.1 times (including non-users), while the average user has used it approximately 7 times (6.7).

Attitudes Toward the Airport

Among those who've used the airport, almost all (96%) would say their experience was `positive' (74% very/22% somewhat), while just 4% would characterize their overall experience with travelling through the airport as `negative' (1% very/3% somewhat).

Nine in ten (85%) residents `agree' (48% strongly/37% somewhat) that `Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is an important part of Toronto's future economic growth', while 15% `disagree' (6% strongly/9% somewhat). A similar proportion (86%) `agree' (49% strongly/37% somewhat) that `the Billy Bishop Airport is great for the economy of Toronto', that Billy Bishop Airport is a valuable asset for the city (87% agree - 57% strongly/30% somewhat), and that `Billy Bishop Airport is a great gateway for the city and tourists' (85% -- 48% strongly/37% somewhat).

Two in three (65%) are `personally in favour of having an airport on the island and believe it's good for Toronto' compared to just one in ten (10%) who are `personally dead set against having an airport on the island and believe it's bad for the city'. Nearly a quarter (21%) `don't care one way or the other'.

Jets at Billy Bishop Airport

Recently, Porter Airlines announced its desire to use jet aircraft at the airport - a decision which must jointly be approved by the Federal Government, City of Toronto and the Toronto Port Authority under the terms of the tripartite agreement that governs the airport.

Some people support the use of jet aircraft at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and say that it would increase competition and lower prices for flights out of Toronto, give Torontonians more access to more destinations, and help the Canadian economy and aerospace companies like Bombardier due to increased manufacturing orders for jet aircraft. Other people oppose the use of jet aircraft at BBTCA and say that allowing jets to fly out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport would lead to more noise coming from the airport and skies, require a runway extension, increase traffic congestion due to higher passenger volumes, and open the door for other airlines to fly jets out of the airport.

On this issue, six in ten (60%) Torontonians, overall, `support the use of jet aircraft at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport provided the jets make no more noise than the current turboprops'. Conversely, four in ten (40%) `oppose the use of jet aircraft at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport under any circumstances'.

Further, two in three (68%) `agree' (40% strongly/28% somewhat) that `Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport should be expanded so that Torontonians have access to more flights and more destinations'. One in three (32%), however, `disagree' (17% strongly/15% somewhat) with this position.

PILTs

It is customary in Canada for airports to pay a fee-per-passenger to the City in which it operates instead of paying municipal land taxes. Most major airports, including Toronto's Pearson Airport and the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, pay this fee in lieu of taxes. Half (48%) of Toronto residents believe that the fee-per-passenger that Billy Bishop Airport should pay should be `the same' as what Pearson Airport pays, while 37% think Billy Bishop Airport should pay a PILT that is `lower than what Toronto Pearson Airport pays per passenger'. Just one in ten (13%) think the fee should be `higher than what Toronto Pearson Airport pays'.

Tripartite Agreement Extension

In the year 2033, the Tripartite Agreement that governs Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is set to expire. Without renewing the agreement, the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport will cease to operate. Given this, a majority (54%) of airport users (and 52% of all Torontonians) believe `we should amend the agreement and extend it beyond 2033 to ensure the long-term viability of the Airport'. Four in ten (39%) users think `we've still got lots of time to amend, so we shouldn't worry about it now'. Just 5% of users (and 12% of all Torontonians) believe `we should let the agreement expire and close down the Airport'.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Toronto Port Authority from July 29 to August 9, 2013. For the survey, a representative randomly-selected sample of 701 adults living in Toronto was interviewed by telephone, including a sample of 300 Torontonians living downtown south of Queen Street. Ipsos 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% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of sample of 177 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.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

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