Resident-representatives of Forest Hill, Bathurst/St. Clair, and North Leaside (Brentcliffe/Eglinton) asked MP John Carmichael for the following:
Relief sought
The residents of the affected neighbourhoods seek the following relief:
A. A return to air traffic noise levels existing prior to Feb. 9, 2012;
B. The elimination of all night flights occurring past 1 a.m. over the affected neighborhoods.
Specific Disclosures Requested
The following disclosures are requested of MP John Carmichael:
- All three levels of government exist with the mandate to protect the health, safety and property of its citizens. All levels of government allowed or facilitated the rerouting of air traffic over the affected communities, thereby threatening the health and safety of its citizens and adversely affecting the citizen’s freedom to enjoy their property as well as the value of such property. Please detail the actions the government is now taking to fulfil its mandate towards its citizens.
- Governments and their agencies undertake a proactive and extensive process to stakeholder a wide variety of proposed initiatives with affected constituents including by such means as direct mailings, public information centers (PICs) and newspaper notices. The residents in the affected neighbourhoods were caught completely unaware of the change in air traffic until after it was implemented. Please explain why the affected residents were not actively and properly stakeholdered and specifically what steps are now being taken to correct this.
- NavCanada references a three-year study that recommended the changes in flight paths now affecting the neighbourhoods noted. Please provide the full and un-redacted study report.
- A decision was made to change several flight paths and one such change is now adversely affecting the noted neighbourhoods. The decision was made by way of a formal process and by individuals in authority to make such decisions. Such decisions must necessarily be transparent and free of real or perceived conflict of interest. Please provide the detailed documentation of the process followed, minutes of all meetings leading up to and including the decision, a listing of names of individuals who made the decision, and the specific dates these individuals were conferred the authority to make such decisions. Further, please identify which individuals were residents of the affected neighbourhoods and represented the interests of those neighbourhoods.
- Notwithstanding the incompleteness of considerations and stakeholdering leading up to the decision, it is understood that such a decision was taken to achieve a clear set of benefits. Such cited benefits include fuel savings for the airlines, improvements in safety, and environmental benefits. Please provide evidence (such as an independent environmental impact assessment, and an economic/ operational assessment) demonstrating that such benefits are actually being achieved.
- One of the benefits cited of the new air traffic control system is precision of flight. Nevertheless, residents in the affected neighbourhoods have documented numerous deviations from documented flight paths including short turns and lower than required flight altitudes. Please provide a database of actual flight information over the affected neighbourhoods. Please include citations of deviations from the new flight paths (e.g. path, altitude, vector, time of day etc.), why such deviations occurred and what measures have been enacted to prevent such deviations in the future (notwithstanding the disposition of this matter).
- The precision of the previous system did not preclude such route changes from being implemented many years ago. Please explain why these route changes are being associated with or made contingent upon the new air traffic control system.
- A feasible alternative downward-leg approach route consists of west-to-east over Lake Ontario, north over the Don Valley Parkway, and east-to-west over the 401 highway. Such a route would eliminate the issues noted above and would do so without any incremental or material costs to the airlines, without adverse impact on Toronto’s economy, and without transferring the problems to other Toronto neighbourhoods.
- Please detail any technical limitations of the new air traffic control system in respect to immediately implementing this alternative route and if any, specifically what would be required to correct such limitations.
- Please detail any regulatory or legislative impediments to immediately implementing this alternative route and if any, what would be required to overcome such impediments.