Toronto Pearson enters a new era , launching one of Canada's largest airport infrastructure programs

A historic moment for Toronto Pearson and for Canada, as the airport launches Pearson Long–term Investment in Facilities and Terminals, one of the largest airport infrastructure programs in Canadian history. Toronto Pearson marked the start of construction on the first major program under Pearson LIFT with a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by senior government officials, including the Honourable Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board of Canada; the Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario's Minister of Transportation; and His Worship Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton, as well as airport partners and construction teams.

Deborah Flint, President and CEO of Toronto Pearson commented: "Today marks a pivotal moment, the culmination of three years of planning, analysis,  competitive procurement and collaboration with industry partners and air carriers to deliver a state–of–the–art airfield that will make Toronto Pearson one of the most efficient and digitally-advanced airports in the industry. This is an investment that increases capacity for global trade with Canada. Passengers can be more confident in their journeys through North America's 2nd most internationally-connected airport."

Pearson LIFT is a phased, multi-billion-dollar program to modernize and expand the airport, renewing infrastructure, advancing technology–driven operations, revitalizing and expanding facilities to support Toronto Pearson's growth for the next decade and beyond. The initial phase of the first major program of Pearson LIFT includes a $3-billion investment in airside and baggage systems, unlocking space for millions more passengers and delivering a smoother, faster and more reliable journey from curb to gate, including:

• Smarter airfield technology: New airfield lighting control and management system to enhance visibility and guidance designed to support an intelligent network that controls and responds to movement across the runways and taxiways. This state of-the-art system is reflective of Toronto Pearson's digital ambition and sets a foundation to enable future navigation and guidance systems that make smoother and more efficient aircraft movements on the ground.  
• Greener airport operations: Expanded electric vehicle charging, cleaner heating systems and energy network upgrades to support lower-emission operations as the airport grows.
• More reliable baggage: Investments across approximately 30 kilometres of baggage infrastructure including new baggage carousels in Terminal 1, as well as new cameras and sensors for early issue detection for better visibility and clearing jams to minimize down time.
• More space for growing operations: An expanded and renewed 2.2–million square metre airfield - equivalent to more than 1,000 NHL–size hockey rinks - including new aircraft stands and a high–speed taxiway to improve movement between gates and runways, supporting up to 28,000 additional passengers per day.

This work lays the foundation for Toronto Pearson to be future–ready, resilient, digitally enabled and built to deliver exceptional passenger experiences. Enabled by Pearson LIFT, Toronto Pearson can grow to serve 65 million passengers a year, creating 16,000 new jobs at the airport, supporting more than 160,000 jobs nationwide, contributing $30 billion to the economy and generating more than $10-billion annually in spending with Canadian suppliers, based on independent analysis. This announcement is just the beginning. This year, Toronto Pearson will continue to unveil additional investments and details, including plans for revitalizing and expanding facilities to accommodate long-term demand.