CBC News
The family-run Buttonville Municipal Airport in Markham, Ont., may close without immediate government intervention, its owners said this week.
The airport, which has been in the Sifton family for nearly 50 years, is home mainly to private planes.
It lost a key $1.5-million operating subsidy in April and the federal government has said it won't fill the void.
That makes it too costly to run, and the 67-hectare property would be more valuable if it was redeveloped, said Derek Sifton.
"We know that there's a lot of value in these lands ? and we are trying to figure out how to get to it," he said.
Conservative MPP Peter Shurman said there's no reason why the province can't come up with the funding for the airport, which is the 10th largest in Canada, provides 300 jobs and pumps nearly $100 million a year into York Region's economy.
"This is a gateway airport. This is a vital transportation link for York Region and York Region is the highest growth economic region in the country," he said.
Sifton said it would take several years to rezone the site. In the meantime, his family will cover operating costs, but he declined to say how long the airport will remain open.