[5] Buttonville Airport began to really grow as a grass airstrip in 1953 when Leggat Aviation moved its operations from Barker Field in Toronto.

[7] On January 17, 2006, Nav Canada announced plans for the construction of a new air traffic control tower at Buttonville Airport.

The new tower, representing an investment of over $2 million, replaced the existing facility, which was built in 1967 and had reached the end of its useful life.

New equipment and technology include the Nav Canada Auxiliary Radar Display System and the company's state-of-the-art voice communications switch.

Pilots were required to broadcast their intentions on the mandatory frequency 124.8 MHz prior to entering the control zone.

[1] The London Flight Information Centre had a Remote Communications Outlet at the airport operating on the frequency 123.15 MHz.

On May 25, 2010, a Cirrus SR20 4-seater plane crashed on the roof of a building just 500 m (1,600 ft) from the airport in Markham (Woodbine Avenue near Apple Creek Boulevard).

A black four-seater banner-towing Cessna 172K Skyhawk, registration C-GQOR, crashed on Vogell Road near the Highway 404 and 16th Avenue interchange in Richmond Hill.

[26] On February 27, 2020, a US-registered Dassault Falcon 50 corporate jet (tail number N951DJ), was set on fire late at night.

[27][28] On August 10, 2021, a Cessna on final approach struck a drone operated by York Regional Police, causing major damage to the aircraft, although there were no injuries.