Toronto Pearson broke ground on construction of the first phase of its Long–term Investment in Facilities and Terminals (LIFT) program.

On hand to kick off the construction work were Treasury Board of Canada President Shafqat Ali, Ontario Transport Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, as well as airport partners and construction teams.

Pearson LIFT is a phased, multi-billion-dollar program to modernize and expand the airport, renewing infrastructure, advancing technology–driven operations, revitalizing and expanding facilities to support Toronto Pearson's growth for the next decade and beyond.

The initial phase of the first major program of Pearson LIFT includes a $3-billion investment in airside and baggage systems, unlocking space for millions more passengers. The scope of work includes:

• New airfield lighting control and management system to enhance visibility and guidance designed to support an intelligent network that controls and responds to movement across the runways and taxiways.
• Expanded electric vehicle charging, cleaner heating systems and energy network upgrades to support lower-emission operations as the airport grows.
• Investments across approximately 30 kilometres of baggage infrastructure including new baggage carousels in Terminal 1, as well as new cameras and sensors for early issue detection for better visibility and clearing jams to minimize down time.
• An expanded and renewed 2.2–million square metre airfield - equivalent to more than 1,000 NHL–size hockey rinks - including new aircraft stands and a high–speed taxiway to improve movement between gates and runways, supporting up to 28,000 additional passengers per day.

The airport says work lays the foundation for Toronto Pearson to be future–ready, resilient, digitally enabled and built to deliver exceptional passenger experiences.

"Today marks a pivotal moment, the culmination of three years of planning, analysis,  competitive procurement and collaboration with industry partners and air carriers to deliver a state–of–the–art airfield that will make Toronto Pearson one of the most efficient and digitally-advanced airports in the industry," said Deborah Flint, President and CEO of Toronto Pearson. "This is an investment that increases capacity for global trade with Canada. Passengers can be more confident in their journeys through North America's second-most internationally connected airport."

The expansions tied to the Pearson LIFT program are expected to enable Toronto Pearson to grow to serve 65 million passengers a year.

The airport authority says it will continue to unveil additional investments and details, including plans for revitalizing and expanding facilities to accommodate long-term demand throughout the remainder of the year.

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