UPDATE: The Globe and Mail has an article pretty much confirming the selling/moving of the airport.
In the latest development with Buttonville, yorkregion.com is reporting that the Siftons may move Buttonville to a new location.
The owners of Buttonville airport are considering moving the airport from its prominent Hwy. 404 location to keep it running.
Derek Sifton, president of Toronto Airways Ltd., which owns the airport, announced at a news conference today his family is looking at development opportunities for the airport lands.
“We basically have no choice but to protect our investments,” Mr. Sifton said, adding the family “basically cannot sit here in a status quo and do nothing”.
The future of Buttonville airport has long been in question, but never so much as recently, after the Greater Toronto Airports Authority cancelled a much-needed $1.6-million annual funding agreement with the airport.
Mr. Sifton emphasized he’s looking at all his options and is not committed one way or another.
He also said the airport won’t be shut down tomorrow, addding he believes his family has “a very valuable commodity that can be relocated, down the road.”
$10 says they sell the land (worth almost $150M) make a pretty penny, then move their school to Markham airport.
Hey Blake,
I guess with $150M the Siftons could turn the Markham strip into something quite pleasant to fly in and out of…but what about future development in the Markham area? Theres all kinds of activity surrounding the lands there, and sooner or later that strip will be shutdown too… Maybe the Siftons should open their farm up and develop the grass strip instead??
Meantime, Happy Flying.
Remember folks, this is only 1.6 mil. Although it is a large bit of money to you and me, it is not when you are talking about the biggest privately owned airport in Canada. So the Siftons are ticked. Remember that the other brother Sifton is in charge of almost every newspaper in Canada. And they are taking advantage of this in the scare tactic of closing the airport. Yes the land is worth 150 mill, but to re-zone, destroy and rebuild will take years, and all that time they won’t be making a dime. Personally I cant see it closing for at least 5 more years, if not longer.