Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will use new legislation passed last year to declare Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto a “special economic zone,” allowing the government to circumvent provincial and municipal laws to extend the island facility’s runway to allow jets.

Mr. Ford has already said he would expropriate the city’s interest in the island airport in order to get around Mayor Olivia Chow’s opposition to expanding the facility and allowing jets instead of the current turboprops. The Premier said the legislation to do this was coming soon.

But on Monday, at an event in a hangar at the airport, he announced that he would also use legislation passed last year, and known as Bill 5, to label the airport a “special economic zone.” This would allow the government to exempt the project, which involves extending the runway hundreds of metres at its ends, from any provincial environmental and other rules, as well as any city hall approvals.