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Environment

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is committed to sustainability and protecting the environment. We conduct our operations in a manner that is consistent with protecting the environment, building and preserving natural habitats and ensuring that we give back to the communities that we serve.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has also been recognized by Airports Council International (ACI) for its efforts to protect and preserve the environment through our programs, initiatives and projects. In 2017, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport won the top award for its Noise Management Program; in 2019, the airport won Best Innovative Project for the successful completion of its three-year Airfield Rehabilitation Program; and in 2020, the airport won for its Master Plan, which was inclusive of many initiatives to protect the environment.

Some of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s key sustainability initiatives include:

Choosing Renewable Energy

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport chooses renewable electricity from wind, solar and low-impact hydro sources to lower its carbon footprint and achieve its environmental goals. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport began its partnership with Bullfrog Power in 2010, and remains the only airport in Canada to be 100 per cent bullfrogpowered by renewable electricity. In that time, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has avoided over 20,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

By choosing green electricity and making significant investments in order to reduce our direct emissions, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is modelling sustainable business practices and is part of a growing movement to help Canada transition to a low-carbon energy grid.

Carbon Reduction

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has made significant investments in recent years to reduce its direct emissions.

The conversion of the Marilyn Bell ferry to 100 per cent electric power ticked all of the boxes in Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s cleaner, greener and quieter vision for its operations – eliminating GHG emissions from the ferry’s operation and reducing Scope 1 emissions at the airport by approximately 530 tonnes per year.

From investing in electric power, to replacing Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport security vehicles with compact, battery-powered electric vehicle to enforcing an anti-idling policy for vehicles on all of its properties, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is working to reduce emissions from its vehicle fleet and maintenance equipment.

With all of our operations bullfrogpowered by renewable energy through our partnership with Bullfrog Power, the impact of electric alternatives within our operation is significant.

Managing Emissions and Noise

Managing noise is a key part of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s commitment to the environment and the well-being of its surrounding community. As part of this commitment, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport runs a comprehensive, multi-faceted Noise Management Program.

Learn more: Noise Management

Supporting Our Community

At its core, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is in the service of people. From our passengers, to our community and to our partners and staff, we are working toward a common goal – a livable, sustainable and prosperous Toronto.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport drives tourism and trade, provides access for critical emergency medevac care and supports thousands of jobs in the Greater Toronto Area, contributing to the economic stability of our region.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is committed to investing in the community in which it operates and helping to build a sustainable city.

Accountability

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport publishes annual Sustainability Reports, which offer a comprehensive account of environmental performance, track key indicators such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and economic impact, and measure the airport’s progress within global corporate reporting best practices.

In 2023, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport published its sixth-annual report. Presented in a new, interactive format with graphic and video components, this report illustrates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s achievements and ongoing efforts to implement sustainable practices, support its community and the wellbeing of its employees, and invest in programs and infrastructure that protect the environment and grow Toronto’s economy.

Further, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is committed to contributing to local, national and global efforts to mitigate climate change. Read our commitment to climate action here.

Facts and Figures

  • In 2010, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport began its partnership with Bullfrog Power to choose 100 per cent green electricity from wind, solar and low-impact hydro sources to match the amount of conventional energy we use – the only airport in Canada to do so – and have avoided over 20,000 tonnes of carbon emissions in that time.
  • The Marilyn Bell ferry, which connects passengers, vehicles and supplies to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, is the only ferry service in Canada to run on a zero-emission power and propulsion system containing no diesel components. The retrofit eliminated greenhouse gas emissions from the ferry’s operation and has the capacity to reduce the airport’s direct emissions by approximately 530 tonnes per year.
  • Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s complimentary shuttle service between the airport and Union Station, which transports approximately 500,000 passengers per year, will be powered by six electric buses in 2024.