announced that it would start an environmental assessment of its own on the project and hoped to start construction of the tunnel in 2011. The TPA also announced that a poll conducted on behalf of the TPA suggested that "a majority (56%) of Torontonians support a pedestrian tunnel to the island airport." On September 24, 2013, the City of Toronto published the results of an Environics poll which stated "A telephone survey commissioned by the city concluded that "half of Torontonians say that an expanded airport with jets does not fit with the revitalized waterfront, and Toronto residents living in the waterfront area are most likely to say that the airport does not fit." Controversies Since its inception, the TPA has been involved in various disputes with the City of Toronto, Air Canada, Community Air and local community groups. These battles mostly are about the Island airport. In 2009, it became public knowledge that the directors of the agency were divided. Several of the dissident directors, appointed by the federal government, were replaced by new federal government appointees. 2009 Board of Directors dispute In June 2009, it became public knowledge that four members (Mr. David Gurin, Mr. Chris Henley, Ms. Michele McCarthy and Mr. Doug Reid) of the TPA board of directors sent a letter in March 2009 to Minister of Transport John Baird on the topics of "Conflict of interest, Expenses, Procurement policy, Information Flow, Audit Committee access, Board counsel termination and Illegal chair election" at the TPA, according to a June 8, 2009 press release from Board Chair Mark McQueen. McQueen termed the letter as: "nothing more than an effort by a disgruntled minority of our Board to smear the reputation of those members of the Board who support the existence of the Toronto City Centre Airport ("TCCA") and who voted in favour of a new, larger passenger ferry in January 2009" The press release was in response to Olivia Chow, MP for Trinity-Spadina, holding a press conference to release the letter, which Chow characterized as "explosive allegations of misconduct against some Toronto Port Authority Board members and staff." Chow wrote to the Auditor General of Canada Sheila Fraser on June 5, 2009, to ask for an audit of the authority. At the news conference, the contents of the letter were released. The practices that the directors objected to included annual expenses of $50,000 on meals at the