After the federal government rejected Doug Ford’s plan to expand Billy Bishop airport, Mayor Olivia Chow is now asking the province to return expropriated airport lands back to the City, including Toronto Islands and Little Norway Park.Chow penned an urgent motion to City Council on Monday to “stop the province’s land grab” and “give back” the City’s waterfront.“Since the province first announced their desire to expand the Island airport, we have demanded to see the plans and worked to understand the potential impact it would have on our city,” the motion reads.While an official plan was never released to the public, the Toronto Port Authority (TPA), which jointly operates the airport under a tripartite agreement with the City of Toronto and Transport Canada, stated that an expansion would likely cost between $4 and $5 billion, with construction lasting approximately 25 years. Despite raising concerns about the impact those plans would have on new housing, parks, air and water quality, congestion, wildlife and more, the Ford government passed Bill 110 in June to seize control of city-owned airport lands in an attempt to bypass municipal laws and get the expansion built by designating the area a “special economic zone.” Related:Rally and celebration held after Ford government’s Billy Bishop airport plans groundedToronto’s top doctor warns of potential health impacts of Billy Bishop expansionAdvocates hail feds’ rejection of island airport plan, while trade groups pan itOn Friday, federal transportation minister Steven MacKinnon quashed the idea saying the federal government would not support Ford’s plans to expand the airport to accommodate larger and noisier jets.“We will not pursue any plans that infringe on treasured public spaces like Little Norway Park or Hanlan’s Point Beach, result in elevated noise, have significant environmental impacts, or hinder Toronto’s ability to build much-needed housing,” he wrote.Chow is now demanding the province repeal Bill 110 and return the expropriated land.In her motion, which was seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, Chow accused the TPA of “hiding plans from Torontonians, going so far as asking City officials to sign NDAs.”She’s also seeking clarity as to whether Wall Street stood to profit from the decision, after media reports emerged suggesting that a top American bank could stand to benefit from the airport expansion and is behind a massive lobbying effort around the issue targeting officials at all levels of government.Today, Deputy Mayor @ausmalik and I submitted an urgent motion to demand the Province of Ontario give back our waterfront, including the Toronto Islands and Little Norway Park.We have been demanding to see the plans, despite the Toronto Port Authority actively hiding them. We…— Mayor Olivia Chow ???????? (@MayorOliviaChow) July 27, 2026A spokesperson for the TPA told CityNews on Monday afternoon that they were “not sure” of the allegations and would revert with more details. No additional information was received at the time of publishing.When asked for comment on Monday, representatives for Premier Doug Ford and the Province pointed to a previous statement issued by Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria and said, “Ontario continues to be a full member of the tripartite agreement.”Despite the back and forth, Chow says it’s time to look ahead.“With the Island Airport expansion no longer moving forward, the Province must return the City’s land so we can get on with the work of building the waterfront Torontonians deserve” her motion reads.“Little Norway park, the Island lands, and everywhere else identified in the legislation belong to the residents of Toronto,” it adds.