The Editor:
Historically, B.C.’s flight routes minimized noise pollution over large populations by mostly flying over water but last year, NAVCANADA moved several flight paths overland in British Columbia as part of its Flight Route Modernization plan.
Port Moody is nowhere near an airport, yet propeller aircraft routinely pass over us at less than 1,300 feet. They generate up to 78 DB of noise pollution for thousands of residents yet carry fewer than 10 people. Noise is cumulative, so with ground-level noise, we can experience up to 95 DB.
I know this because I have a noise monitor on my phone.
But NAVCANADA hasn’t set up monitor stations to follow up on promises about noise that they made to our municipalities, so I wonder if they know?
If this was a part of any other industry, cities would never allow them near dense populations. So, how does a company, with little government oversight and directly linked to the airline industry, have so much power over itself?
NAVCANADA is a private non-profit. In 1996, the Canadian Government sold our Air Navigation program to NAVCANADA for $1.5 billion. It’s free from direct government oversight.
NAVCANADA's mandate is to: provide civil air navigation services by promoting safety and efficiency through innovation, including new technologies.
It says nothing about serving Canadians. All its funds come from private airlines, airports and pilots who use the system. They wield the influence.
Registering a complaint is challenging. In June, I complained to NAVCANADA. They responded that they were not responsible for propeller aircraft, suggesting that I they I contact Transport Canada or my regional airports. Both the YVR (Vancouver) and YPK (Pitt Meadows) airports deferred to NAVCANADA, saying I was located outside their respective regions. Transport Canada considers NAVCANADA responsible for aircraft noise as said on their website.
All this finger-pointing leaves individual Canadians without a voice.
Are Canadians better off with these changes? Excessive noise is more than a "nuisance."
In 2012, The American Journal of Epidemiology linked noise pollution to early morbidity. It’s a pollution. It’s detrimental to health. We need to see it that way.
I’m writing this letter because I believe that together we can influence the flight policy for everyone.
Now, is the time to act because NAVCANADA is preparing to present their report about Flight Modernization to Transport Canada. These routes will become permanent.
Contact NAVCanada directly to make your opinion known ([email protected]) or write to your Member of Parliament. Or contact the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Anita Anand P.C., M.P. ([email protected]).
Ask the Minister of Environment, Honourable Steven Guilbeault P.C., M.P ([email protected]) to accept what European nations has accepted for almost a decade: Noise is a pollution.
Please make your voice heard.
- Tracey Schaeffer, Port Moody
