Canadians who voted for a government that would make fact-based decisions should be disappointed in Transport Minister Marc Garneau’s hurried Thursday night Twitter announcement on the future of Toronto’s Island Airport.

In it, Garneau confirmed that allowing jets at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is off the table, even though only hours earlier he had told reporters he was busy studying the file on this contentious issue.

What can account for the flip-flop? Certainly not a laborious study of the facts. What seems more likely it that it was a politically motivated decision to fulfill promises made by Garneau’s fellow Liberal MPs in Toronto — most notably outspoken airport critic Adam Vaughan of Spadina-Fort York riding.

Whether or not it’s the right decision, it comes at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. Garneau should have waited for three important studies on the proposed airport expansion. They are an environmental assessment, airport master plan and runway design. All are reportedly 90-per-cent complete and were due to be released in early 2016.

They were ordered by Toronto’s city council on the eve of the 2014 municipal election, at an estimated cost of $4 million, so that council could assess its own position on the proposed expansion and make a recommendation to its island airport partners: the federal government and PortsToronto.

Garneau’s rushed decision is even more confusing, given that he acknowledged shortly after being sworn in that he was aware Liberal MPs from Toronto opposed allowing jets, but that the studies were underway so he had nothing to announce on the issue.

That was the right attitude. After all, Billy Bishop airport isn’t some fly-by-night operation that deserves casual consideration. It handles some 2 million passengers a year and is an important transportation hub for the region.

Further, an estimated 2,000 new jobs would be created if jet traffic was allowed. That alone is not enough to justify expansion, but it is surely a reason to delay a decision until the studies are completed and the facts are in.

The decision also affects the fortunes of troubled Quebec-based Bombardier. Porter Airlines, which has been pushing for approval for jets to fly out of Billy Bishop, had placed a conditional order for 12 Bombardier C Series jets, with options for another 18. Those orders will now be on hold.

It’s not too late to get this right. Garneau proved he can change his mind at lightning speed. He should do so again and look at the soon-to-be-released studies before coming to a firm conclusion. It’s not too late for fact-based decision-making.

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