Friday, March 27, 2009

A letter to the Mayor of Ottawa,


Mr. Mayor,

I am writing to let you know that I am seriously considering leaving Ottawa after all these years and moving to Toronto. There is only one reason I am considering moving and that is because the City of Ottawa, unlike the cities of Toronto and Montreal, has not imposed an aircraft curfew. In Ottawa aircraft are permitted to fly 24/7, 365 days a year. And whereas the city has imposed a noise by-law (Noise By-law No. 2004-253) which prohibits noise disturbances between the hours of 11pm and 7am (with extended hours on weekends), the city permits aircraft of all sizes to the fly around the city without restriction. With respect, Mr. Mayor, this is absurd. The noise from this lack of curfew particularly impacts my house and my community, and the noise has steadily increased over the past year.


The Ottawa International Airport Authority (“Airport Authority”) will argue that other cities in Canada operate without a curfew. However, none of these other cities are in any way like Ottawa. In Vancouver, for instance, planes fly in and out over water. In Winnipeg, aircraft fly in and out over treed areas around the airport. I know this because I am a regular traveler with the airlines. I have achieved Super Elite status with Air Canada in each of the past four years. Notably, I have never, in all my years of traveling, had to fly in or out of Ottawa between the hours of midnight and 6am.


To make matters worse, the Airport Authority has established the most ill-conceived noise complaints process imaginable. For example, I have called to complain about aircraft noise on 15 different occasions with absolutely no results. The process is quite simple: I search for the number to call on the Airport Authority’s website; I call and make a complaint; and they send me a letter telling me how important the airport is to the community. It’s a complete waste of my time and insulting. I am not calling and writing the Airport Authority to complain about aircraft noise as a cathartic release, but rather to have the noise situation addressed.


When I enquired recently regarding the number of noise complaints the Airport Authority had received in the past four years (the statistics on their website are from 2005), how many fines had been issued by Transport Canada for violations of noise abatement procedures (aircraft are regularly in violation of Transport Canada’s requirements with respect to my community), etc., I was informed that as a “private company” the Airport Authority was not subject to the Access to Information Act, and that it was under no obligation to share “corporate information” with people like me (citizens of Ottawa). With respect, Mr. Mayor, I have seen more transparency from the governments of some of the so-called “third world” countries that I have worked with recently.


The Airport Authority also claims both on its website and in its on-line publications that it has established a Noise Management Committee to oversee the noise complaints process. Please know that this is a complete fabrication. There is currently no Noise Management Committee – it doesn’t exist, and hasn’t for some time. Even if it may have been in existence at some point in the past, it never had citizen representation. From the perspective of transparency and accountability, this is shameful.


Finally, the Ontario provincial government has recently published its Green Act. In so doing the government has staked a leadership position with respect to climate change. According to the Green Energy Act website – “We need the Ontario Green Energy Act … to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions …” It is a laudable objective and the government should be applauded for their actions. Unfortunately, by allowing aircraft (one of the biggest polluters on the planet) to fly 24/7, 365 days a year, the City of Ottawa’s actions are anti-Green. As a citizen and concerned parent I would like to do my part for the environment by limiting HVAC use whenever possible. Unfortunately, due to aircraft noise at all hours of the day and night, I cannot keep my windows open and must operate my HVAC system unnecessarily and at additional cost.


To summarize, unlike the cities of Montreal and Toronto (where the airports are surrounded by city neighborhoods, like Ottawa), the City of Ottawa has not imposed an aircraft curfew - aircraft are permitted to operate 24/7, 365 days a year. The City has a noise by-law but it does not apply to aircraft. The noise complaints process established by the Airport Authority (a private company) is worthy of contempt and the claim of a Noise Management Committee to oversee the noise complaints process is a lie. Finally, the Ontario government has made an official commitment to “green” yet the City of Ottawa permits one of the world’s largest polluters to operate 24/7, 365 days a year.


Mr. Mayor, I work hard juggling a demanding work and travel schedule with being a husband and father. I have better things to do with my time than to call the Airport Authority to make noise complaints or, quite frankly, to take the time to write this letter. All I want is to be able to enjoy peace and quiet to the same level and extent as other citizens of Ottawa.


As the Mayor of the City of Ottawa I urge you to act. Two non-elected representatives of the City of Ottawa sit on the Airport Authority’s Board yet they have done nothing to stop the current situation. The Airport Authority should not be permitted to operate without a curfew for the reasons mentioned above. Furthermore, the Airport Authority’s noise complaints process needs to be completely overhauled. Finally, the entire process needs to be cleaned up, and transparency and accountability restored.


The thoughts of a concerned citizen


P.S. What has been the response to my letter writing ... an increased level of aircraft traffic in my community. Now I know what it feels like to come up against the un-checked power of a pseudo-government organization ...

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