A noisier neighbourhood?

Photo Credit: By Alasdair McLellan (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Tricia Chan

Opponents of the expansion of Billy Bishop Airport say Birch Cliff residents may be in for a noisier neighbourhood if the City of Toronto votes to permit Porter Airlines to extend the runway in order to add larger capacity jets to their fleet.

According to a third party website that supports expansion, 14.1 per cent of Billy Bishop airplane traffic flies over Birchcliff-Cliffside, more than any other neighbourhood in Toronto.

As the city’s most impacted neighbourhood, the question on many residents’ minds is how Ward 36 Councillor Gary Crawford will vote at the executive committee meeting on Tuesday, providing the vote isn’t delayed based on a staff report recommending deferral.

Source: http://porterflightpaths.ca/

In order for the expansion plans to take off, the City of Toronto, Transport Canada and the Toronto Port Authority all have to agree to amend the agreement that controls governing interest of the airport until 2033.

At this point Crawford is not tipping his hand although he’s under pressure from both sides via social media.

@maitri22 @Anshul_K @CllrCrawford @NoJetsTO it’s time to stand up for improving infrastructure for the citizens of toronto. Yes to porter

— david c ringer (@cpcs1274) March 22, 2014

By veggiefrog from Toronto, Canada (Snowy Toronto Island Airport) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Porter promises noise will not increase

Those in favor of the expansion are looking forward to the creation of jobs in the city and convenience of a downtown airport.

Robert Deluce, President and CEO of Porter Air said the expansion and introduction of jets will create thousands of new jobs for the airline and will not violate the strict noise restrictions in the tripartite agreement.

According to Geoffrey Wilson of the TPA, 33 per cent of Toronto residents have used Billy Bishop Island Airport at an average of seven times per year.

Expansion approval may not necessarily mean more planes flying over Birch Cliff and Cliffside,  just larger planes.

According to a report released by the Toronto Board of Health in 2013, takeoff slots at Billy Bishop are currently at capacity.  Larger runways allow for larger planes, which means more passengers per flight.  In the case of Porter, the Bombardier CS-100 jets have 30 seats more than the Q-400 turboprop planes currently in the fleet, but require up to 200 feet more runway to land and takeoff safely.

Birch Cliff resident counts planes overhead

This does not soothe the concerns of Birch Cliff resident and anti-jet activist Diane Torlone, who on February 13 counted the planes that flew above her home.  Though she was unable to differentiate between Porter Air and Air Canada planes, she counted 40 that passed overhead that day.

“I don’t need an alarm clock,” said Torlone, who said she is woken up at 6:45 a.m. by the sounds.  “It is really starting to affect our peace and quiet.”

Torlone does not want the airport shut down and says she has flown with Porter Air before.  Her preference would be for flight paths to go over the lake instead of over residential areas.

At the public meeting on Feb. 25 the split between Scarborough residents over the noise issue was clear.  One concerned resident, wearing a portable but powerful speaker, sat in the crowd playing the sound of planes he had recorded from his backyard.  As security finally located the noise and stood over him, the crowd was a mix of support for the rebel and for the authorities.

“I have to live with sound every damn day of my life!” said the speaker wearer as he walked out of the auditorium, happy to have made his point.

The runway expansion is not limited to effecting Birch Cliff residents alone.  The Toronto Board of Health’s 2013 report projected that air pollution could increase 10-15 per cent due to increased traffic.

When environmental concerns were brought up, the Toronto Port Authority’s Geoffrey Wilson said the “airport must be a good neighbour,” adding that the expansion would have “no negative environmental impact.”