Billy Bishop wants a new deal

Aug 20, 2024

By Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Caitlin Oprysko

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Ottawa Playbook will not publish Aug. 26 through Sept. 2. We’ll be back to our regular schedule Tuesday, Sept. 3.

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Thanks for reading the Ottawa Playbook. Let’s get to it.

In today's edition:

→ Island politics in Canada's biggest city.

→ Ontario pays K Street for Washington-whispering consulting services.

→ Democrats gather in Chicago. BARACK OBAMA is on tonight's schedule.

For your radar

People arrive at Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto on Friday, July 19, 2024.

Billy Bishop Airport has until 2027 to buffer its runways with "runway end safety areas." | Christopher Katsarov, The Canadian Press

RUNNING OUT OF RUNWAY — Billy Bishop airport's owners are anxious.

PortsToronto runs the airport that dominates the western side of Toronto's harbor islands, and its CEO is staring down construction timelines and federal regulatory requirements.

Transport Canada has given the airport until 2027 to comply with new rules that will force the airport to buffer its runways with "runway end safety areas" — RESAs, in the jargon — meant to accommodate airplanes that overshoot or undershoot their landings.

— Tick tock, tick tock: PortsToronto CEO RJ STEENSTRA told Playbook in a recent interview he needs to see shovels in the ground by April to hit Ottawa's compliance timeline.

— Not so fast: We're talking about an island airport in Canada, where jurisdiction rarely sees an arrangement it can't make more complicated. In this case, the airport has been governed by a tripartite agreement since 1983.

Hands up if the j-word has ever caught you in its federal-provincial-municipal crosshairs — a constitutional frustration older than Ottawa.

The port authority, city and federal government hashed out the terms of the 50-year deal that expires in 2033. That agreement prohibits construction into the harbor.

Steenstra and Co. say they need to fast-track an amended deal. The CEO tells Playbook conversations with his federal partners have been "very, very good" — including with Transport Minister PABLO RODRIGUEZ and his staff, as well as with senior bureaucrats.

As for the city, where longtime island airport skeptic OLIVIA CHOW is mayor? Chow's spokesperson has said the mayor will comment after receiving a staff report this fall.

Steenstra's take: "We're certainly very anxious, and continue to be anxious, to receive the feedback we need from city staff and council on a path forward." He later added: "I would like this to be top of mind and front and center and move faster."

— Top of the food chain: The Privy Council Office briefed Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU on the negotiations in case they came up with Chow during a wide-ranging meeting last December.

"I recognize that the expansion of Billy Bishop Airport is an important issue for Toronto," Trudeau was counseled to say. "The federal government is committed to working with the city and port authority to reach a new agreement by spring 2025."

The memo from PCO's intergovernmental affairs team slightly misled the PM, explaining that federal rules require "extending the existing runway by building into Lake Ontario."

This is a sore spot for Steenstra and his team, who insist their proposals do not extend the actual runway in order to, say, facilitate bigger airplanes. They're only building around it to enhance safety for existing planes.

— Lightning rod: Expansion is a sensitive word around the Toronto Islands.

PortsToronto has pushed for it before, but airport opponents are vocal, and they are legion. The critics are certain the runway safety measures are a Trojan horse for bigger and badder planes — and that Steenstra's squad senses opportunity.

The Liberal government killed an expansion proposal shortly after taking office in 2015. PIERRE POILIEVRE has vowed to reverse that position if he wins power.

— Shots fired: The Globe's ALEX BOZIKOVIC wants the airport bulldozed in favor of a massively expanded park. The architecture critic concedes the downtown hub "seems unstoppable," blaming its operators' momentum on a certain flavor of business crowd.

"Surely the frequent flyers on Parliament Hill and in Queen’s Park are listening," he wrote.

Here's looking at you, Ottawa fishbowl.

Where the leaders are

— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in the National Capital Region with no public events on his schedule.

— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Calgary with plans to meet with the Pathways Alliance organization. Her schedule also says she will meet with “a medical professional” to discuss the government’s plan to make contraception free in Canada. Both events are closed to media.

— Bloc Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET and NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH have not released public schedules.

— Green Leader ELIZABETH MAY is on holiday in B.C.

DULY NOTED

— Labor Minister STEVEN MACKINNON will be in Montreal today and Calgary tomorrow for negotiations between CN Rail, CPKC and Teamsters rail workers.

— Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY starts the day in Côte d'Ivoire, followed by South Africa later this week.

— Defense Minister BILL BLAIR is in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, today to meet with municipal, territorial and Indigenous officials to discuss Canada’s new Arctic-focused defense policy update.

11 a.m. The House committee better known as OGGO will hold the first of three scheduled meetings on the purchase of a C$9-million Manhattan condo to house Canada’s consulate general in New York. (Worth noting: the federal government listed the old residence for C$13 million; the proceeds could exceed the cost of the new digs).

— MPs are scheduled to hear from MARK QUINLAN, LINDA JENKYN and AMÉLIE BOUCHARD from the public works department; SAMANTHA TATTERSALL from the Treasury Board Secretariat will also take MP questions from the House government operations and estimates committee.

PAPER TRAIL

K Street sign

Ontario has signed a yearlong contract with Capitol Counsel. | Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

D.C. 101 — DOUG FORD's government has enlisted the help of K Street to deepen its ties to U.S. lawmakers — with separate plans for before and after the U.S. elections.

The Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs inked a yearlong contract with Capitol Counsel worth up to $1.3 million, according to a copy filed with the U.S. Justice Department.

POLITICO's Influence newsletter first reported the agreement.

— Pre-election: Capitol Counsel will provide “strategic advice and tactics for securing meetings with key government representatives and other stakeholders” as well as longer-term engagement goals while building out “an initial repository of key U.S. government and business contacts for Ontario to leverage.”

— Post-election: The firm will readjust its strategy as needed to reflect the outcome of the elections at both the federal and state levels while identifying policy issues relevant to the province, crafting white papers and conducting polling as requested.

→ First 100 days: Capitol Counsel will also devise a plan for the early months of the new Congress and administration.

→ Trade watch: The firm will advise on the 2026 review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

— Team members: The Capitol Counsel lobbyists working on the account are roughly split between parties. The Republicans are JASON SCISM, DAVID BRIDGES, NICK BOUKNIGHT, and CLINT ROBINSON. The Democrats are JEFFREY CARROLL, ROBERT DIAMOND and JONATHAN KOTT.

2024 WATCH

Delegates hold signs as President Joe Biden speaks during the first day of Democratic National Convention.

Delegates show their appreciation as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks on the first day of Democratic National Convention. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP

LAST NIGHT IN CHICAGO — U.S. President JOE BIDEN basked in the applause of Democratic convention-goers — even if the adulation was as much about his decision to step aside as his own career or record, write POLITICO’s JONATHAN LEMIRE and ELI STOKOLS.

“I love the job,” Biden told the packed arena. “But I love my country more.”

Lemire and Stokols write: “When his speech finally concluded well past midnight in the Eastern Time Zone, the 81-year-old president embraced both KAMALA HARRIS and the role he’d long resisted: passing the baton to his vice president to finish the campaign to defeat DONALD TRUMP again.”

— Watch: Video highlights of opening night.

— Hot off the presses: The 2024 Democratic Party Platform is 92 pages, nine of which are devoted to addressing climate change and conservation. (For the record, Canada gets namechecked once.)

— Now comes the hard part: A team from POLITICO looks at the challenges that await Harris on the other side of the balloon drop.

— Tonight at the DNC: The evening will feature a slate of speakers who were considered to be Harris’ running mate. POLITICO’s LAUREN EGAN notes that it’s a clear decision to elevate the next generation of Democratic leaders on the heels of last night’s emotional sendoff to President Biden.— Hot off the presses: The 2024 Democratic Party Platform is 92 pages, nine of which are devoted to addressing climate change and conservation. For the record, Canada gets namechecked once.

— Front-row seat: Global Playbook is hitting the U.S. campaign trail! SUZANNE LYNCH is reporting from the DNC this week. Make sure you’ve signed up to hear what’s being discussed both on and off the convention floor.

Quentin Fulks speaks onstage at the CNN-POLITICO Grill.

Quentin Fulks (right), principal deputy campaign manager for the Harris-Walz campaign, speaks to Playbook author Eugene Daniels Monday at the CNN-POLITICO Grill. | Rod Lamkey Jr. for POLITICO

Here's today's lineup at the CNN-POLITICO Grill:

4 p.m. ET: Rep. MAXWELL FROST (D-Fla.)

4:30 p.m. ET: Illinois Gov. JB PRITZKER in conversation with POLITICO’s JONATHAN MARTIN.

5:30 p.m. ET: Democratic strategist ANITA DUNN in conversation with West Wing Playbook co-authors ELI STOKOLS and LAUREN EGAN.

6:10 p.m. ET: NATO panel with U.K. Ambassador KAREN PIERCE, Canadian Ambassador KIRSTEN HILLMAN and Estonian Ambassador KRISTJAN PRIKK in conversation with defense reporter PAUL MCLEARY.

6:30 p.m. ET: Rep. JIM HIMES (D-Conn.) in conversation with POLITICO Live editorial director KEVIN BARON.

6:45 p.m. ET: Sen. MARK WARNER (D-Va.) in conversation with senior managing editor ANITA KUMAR.

7:05 p.m. ET: Rep. PETE AGUILAR (D-Calif.) in conversation with congressional reporter NICHOLAS WU.

7:30 p.m. ET: Colorado Gov. JARED POLIS in conversation with economics correspondent VICTORIA GUIDA.

MEDIA ROOM

— Manitoba chiefs have asked PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU to rescind CHARLES ADLER's Senate appointment, given his past remarks about Indigenous people. (Playbook first reported discontent in the province about Adler's new gig.)

— “Everyone has an evacuation story,” PAT KANE of Yellowknife writes in The Walrus of wildfire evacuations last summer. “Many are, by turns, frightening, frustrating, harrowing, humorous, and inspiring.”

— CBC News reports that Canada will freeze the approval of new temporary foreign workers in low-wage jobs in the Montreal area starting in September.

— Conservatives deleted a video based on a PIERRE POILIEVRE speech that inadvertently showcased a pair of Russian fighter jets in flight.

— CAITLIN WALSH MILLER writes in Maclean’s on the rise of ransomware gangs and a “fumbling and fragmented” national response.

PROZONE

For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter: U.S. groups urge Ottawa to 'move quickly' if railway talks fail.

In other news for Pro readers:

— POLITICO Pro Q&A: U.S. Undersecretary of State JOSE FERNANDEZ.

— Methane fee could be Biden’s climate swan song.

— Great Lakes drilling spills into Michigan Senate race.

— New satellite to track methane super emitters.

— Media guild threatens to pull support for California journalism bill.

PLAYBOOKERS

Birthdays: Happy 75th birthday to Sen. MOBINA JAFFER, who retires from the Senate.

“I leave in your hands this challenge: Do not cut up our society, but sew it up,” Jaffer told her colleagues in a farewell address on June 12. “If no one can break us, we will always be together.”

Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Send it all our way.

Spotted: At Sussex Strategy's reception at the ByWard Market's Luxe restaurant on the sidelines of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference: Energy Minister STEPHEN LECCE, Infrastructure Minister KINGA SURMA, Transportation Minister PRABMEET SARKARIA, Associate Minister of Energy Intensive-Industries SAM OOSTERHOFF, PC MPP SHEREF SABAWY, Liberal Leader BONNIE CROMBIE, Liberal MPP MARY-MARGARET MCMAHON, mayors DAVID WEST, STEVE PELLEGRINI, MAT SISCOE, IAIN LOVATT, and Ottawa city councilor RAWLSON KING.

Manulife's SCOTTY GREENWOOD and travel agent extraordinaire SCOTT MCCORD, dining at the Shore Club.

Movers and shakers: CATHERINE JOBIN started Monday as Global Affairs Canada's assistant deputy minister of strategy, policy and public affairs: "a new branch as part of a new organizational structure, propelling our transformation efforts forward."

LYNNE THIELE secured the federal NDP nomination in P.E.I.'s Cardigan riding.

Media mentions: MAHAM ABEDI was laid off from Global News: "I leave knowing I fought to tell stories I believe in, especially ones that shed light on challenges faced by marginalized and racialized communities that don’t often trust the media or see their truths reflected in news coverage."

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY

9:30 a.m. (11 a.m. NDT) Rural Economic Development Minister GUDIE HUTCHINGS will be in Port au Port West, Newfoundland and Labrador, with an announcement about support for the complex committee at Our Lady of Mercy Heritage Church.

11 a.m. Liberal MP RYAN TURNBULL will join Community Care Durham's CEO JAMES MELOCHE to make an infrastructure announcement.

11 a.m. FedDev Ontario Minister FILOMENA TASSI will be at First Nations Technical Institute in Deseronto, Ontario, with an announcement in support of opportunities for Indigenous youth and communities in the aerospace sector.

TRIVIA

Monday's answer: The Senate's mandatory retirement age of 75 was first enforced in 1965.

“At the time, I was working in Mr. Diefenbaker’s OLO,” retired Sen. MARJORY LEBRETON wrote in with her answer — noting her days in the official opposition leader’s office.

Props to NANCI WAUGH, GEORGE YOUNG, MARCEL MARCOTTE, GORDON RANDALL, BLAIR ARMITAGE, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, MALCOLM MCKAY and GANGA WIGNARAJAH.

Today’s question: In what year did former Canadian ambassador to Washington ALLAN GOTLIEB write the following in his personal diary: “It's hard for me to believe that the Republican and Democratic Conventions were held in the same country — the former so high-spirited, so emotional, so unified, so confident, so millenarian, the latter so fragmented in its voice, so defensive, so pessimistic, so backward-looking.”

Answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com .

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