Queen Elizabeth’s flight plan a ‘slap in face’ for Mayor Miller: Granatstein
Queen Elizabeth is coming to Toronto — and delivering a royal slap to Mayor David Miller at the same time.
The Queen’s nine-day royal vist to Canada includes a trip to Waterloo, and the big surprise is she’s flying there on Porter Airlines.
You know, that Toronto-based carrier flying out of the island airport.
The one Miller hates.
The one he triumphantly tried to hammer down days after being first elected mayor in 2003, by stopping a planned, and, at the time, approved bridge to the island airport.
The airport he claims stands in the way of a waterfront for the people of Toronto, rather than planes.
The one that’s proven to be so successful there’s now a huge new terminal and other airlines clamouring to join the party.
The airport essentially run by Porter, with its planes now flying to 12 destinations.
The airport Miller’s never flown from despite his frequent trips to here, there and everywhere on official city business.
So, Dave, do we take it there will be no official party to see Betty Windsor off to her Waterloo from the mayor’s office?
Miller’s office said they have no confirmation of the Queen’s plans — nor the royal raspberry being tossed their way — and provided no reaction to the Queen’s choice.
Porter Airlines said Thursday it could not confirm any details.
The federal heritage ministry, in charge of the details, also declined to corroborate anything beyond the outline released by the Prime Minister’s Office Wednesday.
According to her itinerary, the Queen of England will fly to Waterloo to check out Jim Balsillie’s operation at Research in Motion on July 5.
She will then return to Toronto to evaluate the job being done by the film community at Pinewood Studios, the U.K. studio provider that recently took over what was formerly called Toronto’s Filmport.
Taking the royal yacht or the British Airways monarch mover is not in the plans, the Globe and Mail reported.
Toronto Community Air, the waterfront group demanding the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport be shut down, was not amused by the Queen decision to soar out of the downtown via Porter.
“It’s a bit of a slap in the face of all the people who live along there,” said Brian Iler, chair of Community Air.
The issue the waterfront residents are now turning to is how to let the royals know this move flies in their faces, without being drama queens about the whole thing.
“We’ll come up with something to show how we’re not happy with her thumbing her nose at us,” Iler said.
Will they moon the monarch? Dump tea in the lake?
Give her a somewhat less-than-royal salute?
After all, the chance of an audience with Her Royal Highness is pretty slim.
I’m just sayin’.
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