Billy Bishop airport expansion off the table, Garneau says

Canada's newtransport minister took to Twitterto do an about-face onBilly Bishop City Centre Airport,announcingthe Liberal government has no intention of lettingpassenger jets fly out of the Toronto Islands.

Marc Garneau tweeted late Thursday night that the government will not re-open an agreement that could leadto the expansion ofthe island airport.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawajust hours earlier,Garneauappeared to contradict earlier Liberal statements both before and after last month's federal election that the proposed expansionwas dead.

"What I'm doing at the moment is examining all of the factors that are involved in this.It's a complex issue," Garneausaidafter a cabinet meeting Thursday afternoon.

• Liberals stand by vow to block jets at Billy Bishop

• Olivia Chow, Adam Vaughan promise to axe island airport expansion

However, the former astronautexecuted a 180-degree turnlateron Twitter, sayingthegovernment's position on the issue mirrors theLiberal Party's election campaigncommitment not to re-open the file.

Garneau'searliercomments came as a surprise toTrinity-SpadinaCoun. MikeLayton, who called the transportminister's remarks"distressing."

"We had received one message from the Toronto [federalLiberal] caucus leading up to the election and now we're getting a different message from the minister."

Porter Airlines, which is based atBilly Bishop, wants to fly Bombardier CS-100 jets out of that airport. The airlinehas been lobbying forthereopening of the tripartite agreement between the federal government, Toronto's port authorityand the city governing what kind of aircraft can fly out of Billy Bishop.

But under the terms of the deal, if one party to the arrangementrefuses to revisitit, the agreement cannot be reopened.

Earlier this year, nine Toronto Liberal candidates,including Adam Vaughan, articulated the party's position against re-opening theagreement.

"No Jets. No Expansion. Period," Vaughan wrote in a September letter to a citizens' group aimed at stopping the airport's growth .Porter Airlines has lobbied Toronto city council since 2013to extend the runway at Billy Bishop for the Bombardierjets,a move that would enable the airline to fly to more destinations.

Toronto city staff have beenstudying the proposal and wereexpected to report back to city council in the new year.