TORONTO - A proposal to rename the Toronto Island Airport in honour of Billy Bishop is not flying with the mayor of Owen Sound, Ont.
The Toronto Port Authority is expected to announce the new name for the airport at its annual meeting today. Owen Sound's airport is already named after the First World War flying ace, who was born in the city and buried there in 1959.
Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners says having two airports named after the Victoria Cross winner will cause confusion for pilots and travellers alike.
She says city staff will check to see if Owen Sound may have legal title to the Billy Bishop Airport name.
The Toronto airport was first called the Port George the Sixth Airfield, then changed to the Toronto City Centre Airport in 1994.
Bill Murdoch, the provincial representative for the Owen Sound area, says it would be an honour to have another airport named after Bishop. But Murdoch adds he shares the mayor's concern that having two Billy Bishop airports could cause confusion.
Bishop was officially credited with shooting down 72 enemy aircraft during the war. Several military installations and other locations across Canada are named after Bishop.
