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    • Aerial view of airport with skyline in background

    For more than 100 years, PortsToronto has worked with its partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the economic growth of the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Today, Billy Bishop Airport and the Port of Toronto act as urban transportation hubs for Canadian and international businesses to gain easy, convenient and cost-effective access to the heart of Canada’s most populated city and province.

    Billy Bishop Airport

    Billy Bishop Airport is fast becoming a key facilitator of business travel and tourism and a significant contributor to Toronto’s economic growth.

    As an emerging regional hub, the airport links the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to major North American cities, and has become a vital part of business growth, supporting Toronto’s international competitiveness. The airport brings direct and indirect economic benefits to the GTA, supporting Toronto’s key sectors; financial services, life sciences, creative industries, food and beverage, and film and television.

    Billy Bishop Airport’s economic impact in 2018 includes:

    • More than 4,740 jobs, including 2,080 directly associated with Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport;
    • $470 million in Gross Domestic Product (GDP);
    • Boosts the local economy, with visitors coming through Billy Bishop Airport spending approximately $150 million a year on accommodation, transportation, retail and food and beverage
    • Overall tax revenue and Payments-in-Lieu of Taxes (PILTs) of approximately $74 million annually.

    Since 2006, the airport has seen an exponential year-over-year increase in passenger numbers. As passenger traffic continues to increase, the airport’s operations are expected to continue to stimulate business and commerce, translating into measurable and sustainable economic growth for years to come.

    Port of Toronto

    Serving primarily as a bulk cargo facility, the Port of Toronto is a unique addition to Toronto’s economic infrastructure that provides a network of intermodal links to road, rail and air transportation.

    Some of the 2018 Port highlights include:

    • 2.2 million metric tonnes passing through the Port;
    • Cement cargo imports remained strong for another year at more than 610,400 metric tonnes;
    • Salt and sugar imports at 735,948 and 560,625 metric tonnes;
    • Steel products including rebar, merchant bar, steel plate and coils totalling 69,281 metric tonnes, representing the highest level of steel product moved through the port in 20 years.
    Some of the 2019 Port highlights include:
     
    • 36 cruise ship visits
    • Over 12,000 cruise ship passengers

    With its unmatched vistas of downtown Toronto and proximity to the city’s cultural centre, the Port has become a popular filming location for major television dramas and big-screen blockbusters. In 2018, the Port generated $90,000 in revenue. Several productions, including Designated Survivor, Private Eyes, In the Dark and Streets of Yesterday, were filmed on PortsToronto properties in 2018.

    In March 2018, Toronto Mayor John Tory and Cinespace Film Studios—the largest private owner and operator of studio space in North America—announced the signing of a multi-year lease with PortsToronto to occupy and develop Marine Terminal 51 and portions of the Cruise Ship Terminal into film and TV production facilities that will support jobs in the Canadian film industry for years to come.

    Cinespace’s Toronto studio facilities are known for housing award-winning productions such as TV series A Handmaid’s Tale, and 2018 Best Picture Oscar winner, The Shape of Water. This long-term agreement enables PortsToronto to support a successful Canadian company, a burgeoning local film industry and the City of Toronto’s vision for the Port Lands as an important economic district.