Ontario's Premier Accountability Dashboard · Queen's Park Watch
Norman Di Pasquale
Norman Di Pasquale is the Chair of NoJetsTO, the community advocacy group opposing jet expansion at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Following the Ford government's April 2026 purchase of a $28.9 million Bombardier Challenger 650, Di Pasquale publicly connected the jet purchase to Ford's earlier seizure of City of Toronto land at Billy Bishop to expand the runway for jets: "The timing of Ford's purchase of his taxpayer funded 'Gravy Plane' and his sudden interest in expanding the island airport is not a coincidence."
Connected Scandals
Doug Ford spent $28.9 million in taxpayer money on a private jet — then reversed the decision 48 hours later after a public backlash, announcing the province would sell the aircraft "as quickly as possible." Ford made no reference to his 2019 boast that he was the only premier in history to refuse a government plane, and the financial cost of the reversal — including any cancellation penalties or resale loss — has not been disclosed.
As Chair of NoJetsTO, Di Pasquale was among the first to publicly connect the Ford government's $28.9M jet purchase to its forced Billy Bishop expansion — noting that the Challenger 650 cannot operate from downtown Toronto without the runway extension Ford is forcing through over community and City of Toronto opposition.
Doug Ford's government introduced Bill 110 to seize all of Little Norway Park — a children's playground and waterfront green space beside two schools and a daycare — to expand Billy Bishop Airport into a jet hub, with no plan, no environmental assessment, and no guarantee the park won't become a parking lot.
Billy Bishop Airport: Little Norway Park Land Grab — As chair of NoJetsTO, Di Pasquale has organized community opposition to the Billy Bishop jet expansion and Bill 110's expropriation of Little Norway Park. The coalition's opposition spans environmental, safety, and democratic accountability grounds.