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Toronto Port Authority (TPA) is a Canadian Crown agency responsible for all activities in the Port of Toronto . The organization is responsible for the management of large areas of Government of Canada owned lands along the downtown Toronto harbour, including the Toronto City Centre Airport . A citizen group and some of the city council members are calling for the agency to be shut down and its responsibilities given to the city and other organizations. The Toronto Port Authority is a Canadian Port Authority and part of a national ports system that replaced the Toronto Harbour Commissioners in Toronto. It is a federal public authority providing transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses. The TPA owns and operates the Toronto City Centre Airport, Marine Terminals 51 and 52, and the Outer Harbour Marina. It also provides regulatory controls and public works services to enhance the safety and efficiency of marine navigation and aviation in the port and harbour of Toronto The TPA grants operator's permits to recreational boaters in the harbour of Toronto, oversees land development, engages in trade development for its terminals, and appoints the Harbour Master . The Port Authority has a staff of 110 full-time employees and approximately 25 seasonal and part-time workers. CREATION The Toronto Port Authority was established on June 8, 1999, under the Canada Marine Act , with a seven-member Board of Directors. The Canada Marine Act was intended to create Port Authorities to govern Canada's important commercial ports. The act, as originally introduced, did not include a Port Authority for Toronto. However, during final reading of the bill the TPA was added to the legislation by Liberal MP Dennis Mills. The TPA replaced the Toronto Harbour Commission , created by a federal act in 1911 , to manage the port lands in Toronto . GOVERNANCE The Port Authority is controlled by a seven member board, comprising of one person appointed by the city of Toronto. Another two appointees are selected by the Provincial Government and the Federal Government. The remaining four positions are chosen by a select group of port based organizations. Under Federal law the only people who can have a seat on the board are "persons that make commercial use of, or provide services at the port". This definition excludes people that utilize the services in a non-commercial manner. Lisa Raitt, TPA CEO has stated: "It's a community-based board of directors" ( Eye Weekly Sept. 2005). The current structure replaces the older Toronto Harbour Commission with a five member board including three City of Toronto Councillor s. With the new management model, no City of Toronto employee nor city councillor can have a seat on the board. The aim of the reorganization of the Port Authority was to turn it into a self-sufficient government organization. The goal was to make the agency more independent and more financially sound. The new setup was championed by the former local Liberal Member Of Parliament Dennis Mills . The current CEO of the Port Authority is Lisa Raitt, who was appointed by the Board of Directors in 2003 after holding positions including Corporate Secretary/In-House Counsel 1999-2001 and Harbour Master 2001-2003; at the time Ms. Raitt held the distinction of first female Harbour Master in Canadian ports history. Members of the board include:
The current members have experience of being Directors of various Boards for a number of both private and public organizations. Their terms last three years. Past Board members have included:
Previous CEOs/GMs include John Morand, Gary Reid. OPERATIONS The Port of Toronto is one of the largest city and inland ports in Canada. The protected harbour is roughly two miles long and one mile wide and is sheltered by a string of offshore islands. There are 3.8 km (3 miles) of deep-water wharfage for the loading and unloading of bulk products. Marine terminals include inside and outside storage, and some 1828.8 metres (6,000 feet) of berthing space for ships carrying general cargo. The port is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence Seaway . Shipping traffic declined in recent decades as more goods were transported via rail and road. However, port tonnage has increased by 28% since 1999 as fuel cost increases and highway traffic congestion have added significantly to the costs of road transportation. Toronto City Centre Airport (TCCA) is located at the western end of Toronto Islands . The Island Airport is now linked across the Western Gap by ferry services. The passenger and vehicle ferry, Maple City, makes the round trip across the 121 metre-wide (400 feet) Western Channel every 15 minutes during airport operating hours. The three runways can accommodate most regional scheduled airlines and general aviation aircraft. A seaplane base is also located just east of the main apron. Turbofan traffic is prohibited except in emergencies. Operation of the airport is governed by a Tri-partite agreement between the Toronto Port Authority, the Federal Government and the City of Toronto. The current number of landings and take-offs at TCCA is 120,000 annually. Air traffic into and out of the TCCA is controlled by the TCCA with approaches and departures routed over the lake away from residential areas. Approach and take-off paths to the main runways at TCCA are over water and non-residential areas. In February 2006, the Toronto Port Authority signed a Commercial Carrier Operating Agreement with REGCO Holdings Inc. for the operation of a regional carrier from the Toronto City Centre Airport beginning later in 2006. REGCO has announced that its wholly-owned regional airline will serve a number of regional markets in Canada and the United States. Other facilities operated by the Toronto Port Authority include: International Marine Passenger terminal In 2005 the Port Authority completed a passenger terminal for the highspeed Toronto to Rochester ferry, Spirit Of Ontario I . Part of the terminal is a Canada Customs station, the first new border crossing between Canada and the United States in over 40 years. By January 2006 the ferry service had failed with all funding being revoked by the new Mayor of Rochester, Robert Duffy . The terminal will continue to be used as a docking station for Great Lake cruise ships. Outer Harbour Marina is located on the Leslie Street Spit in a protected channel with access to Lake Ontario and Toronto's Inner Harbour with 636 slips. The Port Authority also offers a variety of services such as dredgeing, tow boats, and storage facilities. The management offices are operated out of the historic Toronto Harbour Commission Building , located downtown Toronto, just south of the Air Canada Centre. FACTS AND FIGURES Major shipping cargos handled by the Port:
CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THE PORT AUTHORITY In recent years the Toronto Port Authority has been embroiled in various battles with both the City of Toronto and local community groups. These concern the future of the Toronto Waterfront . Issues include zoning controls and the future of the regional airport. Financial Losses Since its inception, the Toronto Port Authority has failed to turn a profit. Self-sufficiency tests conducted on behalf of Transport Canada in both 2003 and 2004 looked at the TPA's business plan for the future, allowing them to maintain their port authority status as long as they could project a profit. ( Eye Weekly Sept. 2005). Political Positions on the Port Authority The Port Authority has been embroiled in political controversy since its inception. The various political positions on the future of the Port Authority: Mayor David Miller The current mayor of Toronto, Feb 19 2006). Liberal Party of Canada - Federal Party Position The TPA was created while the Liberal Party was in power (1999). Several Toronto Liberal MPs were strong supporters of the TPA including Dennis Mills , Tony Ianno , and David Collenette . While there was some election talk about handing control of the TPA to the city, there was never any firm commitment made. New Democratic Party Position Toronto Member of Parliament Olivia Chow has called the Port Authority a "rogue agency", and wants control passed over to the city. The NDP wants the agency shut down. The federal party leader Jack Layton has stated that he wants the Auditor-General to investigate the settlement surrounding the failed airport bridge. Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) Position The Labour Union has given its support to the expansion of the Island Airport and the new airline service. The union represents employees of the Toronto Bombardier aircraft factory, which will build the new Q400 planes for the newly formed Porter Airlines . Conservative Party of Canada - Federal Party Position Party generally advocates the downloading of responsibilites to the local/provincial level. However, the party hasn't stated their goal for the agency. Zoning Issues and Control The Port Authority controls a large section of industrial lands just east of the downtown Toronto core. The city of Toronto wants to convert the space into mix use developments, such as office buildings, condos, parks, and 'clean' industry (high-tech, film studios, etc). This conflicts with the current usage of the lands - bulk goods storage and transfer (such as oil containers, sugar). In addition the Provincial government has expressed interest in building a New Gas-fired Generating Plant on a site by the existing mothballed R.L Hearn Generating Station . The city of Toronto has commissioned several detailed urban plans for the area. They are all conditional on the city being able to redevelop lands currently under the control of the Port Authority. See Toronto Waterfront for more information. Island Airport Bridge One of the ongoing disputes between the City of Toronto and the Port Authority is the idea of building a bridge to connect the island based Toronto City Centre Airport with the city. In 2003 Lisa Raitt, the Toronto Port Authority CEO stated in the Globe And Mail (Friday, December 5, 2003) that the "The 64-year-old airport will never be financially viable without the bridge". The bridge would only be a few hundred metres in length, but has been fought intensely by local community groups who claim that that a bridge would increase traffic to the airport. It is also strongly opposed by many recreational sailors who argue that it would be a significant safety hazard to sailboats using the Western channel. Supporters of the airport, feel that it should be expanded as to enhance commercial activitiy in the downtown Toronto business core. Groups supporting the bridge feel it's the best way to help provide better service by allowing for easier connections from the terminal to the city. It is claimed that improving regional connectivity will enhance the desirablity to organizations of establishing offices in central Toronto. The commute times to the much larger Pearson International Airport are considered drawbacks and the island airport caters to much smaller aircraft which allows more travel flexibilty for users seeking to travel to local destinations. But a proposed downtown Toronto to Pearson rail link called Blue22 could make the airport (which just completed over $4 Billion in upgrades) even more viable. The Toronto Fire Department has expressed concerns about the ability to service the airport in the event of an accident. The concerns were addressed by the creation of a fire department at the airport and a fireboat that can access any part of the island. The current mayor of Toronto, David Miller won his election, at least in part, on a high profile promise to prevent the bridge being built. Miller's stand made this one of the major election issues in the 2003 mayoralty election. Lawsuits The Toronto Port Authority launched one lawsuit against the City of Toronto. The agency's activities has caused other organizations to launch their own legal actions.
Financial Dealings In January 2006 it was revealed that the Toronto Port Authority had signed a 14 year contract in 2004 to provide terminal services for the Toronto to Rochester Highspeed Ferry. The lease could have resulted in the City of Rochester giving the Port Authority $ 250 000(CDN) a year. The Ferry service was canceled in the winter of 2006, upon the election of a new mayor, Bob Duffy, in Rochester. In the contract the city of Rochester doesn't guarantee payment for any possible outstanding debt to the agency. Cancelled Lease On February 15th 2006 Air Canada announced that their lease for use of space controlled by City Centre Aviation (CCAL) at the Toronto City Centre Airport was terminated by CCAL. The airline currently runs a regional service Air Canada Jazz with five flights weekly from the downtown location. The terminal used is owned by REGCO Holdings which plans to start a new airline operating out of the same airport later this year. On February 27th, 2006 Air Canada lost a court appeal and will no longer be able to operate from the publicly owned facility, with exclusive rights going to Porter Airlines. Political Patronage This paragraph has been removed pending verification by the authors. SEE ALSO
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