We Islanders are convenient whipping boys (and girls), but I'm afraid that dog don't hunt any more if you know the facts. There are only about 700 of us, and it is the tens of thousands of downtown condo residents who are currently leading the charge for a "clean green" waterfront.

For example, right now there is a push being made by several condo residents' associations to limit the number of air ambulance flights using YTZ. I can assure you, that is not a big issue for Islanders, mainly because the helicopters almost invariably approach from the city side.

As I've said many times, my beef with YTZ has nothing to do with noise, the environment, the world's fair, getting more park land or any of the causes that are usually used to attack YTZ. The real problem is that this is extraordinarily valuable downtown land that is being used inefficiently to support a money-losing operation. It costs us money as taxpayers when it should be making us money. There could be a beautiful development there (condo towers in the middle with low rise commercial and residential along a boardwalk on the west and east) if we filled in the Western Gap and dug a new channel south of the airport. Conservative value of the land to developers (all of which would go into the federal government's pocket): $2 - 3 billion. Now that makes a lot more sense than Porter (or anyone else) operating out of YTZ!