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2004 Toronto / Winter Waterfront / Centre Island Airport
The shortest gap between Toronto Centre Island from the mainland is 75 metres, right by the most contentious area along the waterfront: the
Toronto City Centre Airport. The Toronto Port Authority maintains the island airport and they've been adamant about requiring a fixed link to the island for survival. Most of Toronto is against a bridge to the island; from community groups afraid of increased pollution to island residents fighting against sprawl and loss of local services to city council, including current mayor David Miller, who was elected on a campaign primarily fighting the fixed link, opposition to extending Bathurst over the water and onto the island has been both vocal and successful.
The case for the bridge, aside from corporate interests, covers the very survival of the airport. Cranes and trailers remain onsite as the port authority considers the fixed link construction on hold as they plead with the government to reconsider. The airport is often used for flying in and out medical patients, along with short-trip business planes. Most people concede that the airport should remain, but the little ferry used to transport vehicles across the canal is considered sufficient. Workers are worried about their future, but with the current state of the airline business in general, along with changes at Pearson International, Toronto's primary airport (including a brand new Terminal 1), the island airport shouldn't be threatened with closure in the near future.
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Aside — Of course, perhaps the Toronto Port Authority is focusing too much attention on the loss of the fixed link. A new ferry service between Rochester, New York and Toronto is close to launching, yet the port authority has yet to break ground on constructing the terminal over by the portlands towards the eastern part of the harbour. Rochester and Toronto are quite unhappy that the port authority is set to welcome The Spirit of Ontario (aka, The Breeze) with, effectively, a tent and a chipstand. Then again, there hasn't been enough exposure about this new ferry service; the only way I found out was when the ferry smashed into a New York City pier as it was being delivered and I saw the ship docked by the South Street Seaport in Manhattan.
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Otherwise, I walked along the canal between the mainland and airport. Aside from all the chunks of ice floating through, there were thousands of little birds, bobbing around, emitting low chirps. Occasionally, one would dive under the water, searching for food, and the water was clear enough so that I could see the water bubbles floating back to the surface, along with the bird as it came back up. I walked the entire distance towards the National Yacht Club along the Outer Harbour. Due to no direct path towards my next destination, I had to doubleback to the airport road and cut through a few playgrounds and residential areas.
--kari.
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