“Exploring the Impact of Nav Canada’s Airspace Modernization Proposal on the Tri-Cities Residents”

Residents and politicians in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody – the Tri-Cities – are opposed to a proposal to consolidate aircraft arriving in YVR via certain routes.

“We will certainly see more aircraft and the noise that comes with them,” Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart said.

“Our residents are concerned that so much air travel is being placed over a community that doesn’t have as much.”

According to Nav Canada, the private, not-for-profit company that operates Canada’s air traffic control system, satellite technology has allowed planes to take a more precise course when landing.

Your proposed airspace modernization project or “invisible highways in the sky,” aims to safely manage airspace, reduce pollution and ensure future growth.

Under the change, Nav Canada estimates up to 61,000 fewer inhabitants would experience noise levels in excess of 60 decibels – normal speaking volume – if flight paths were optimized as aircraft would fly over fewer houses.

While the consolidation means planes will fly fewer homes, some residents who live in homes located under the new flight paths fear they will hear an increase in noise.

The trails run through Delta, Langley and the Tri-Cities.

“Just listen to us”

Nav Canada wrote in a statement that it has completed a public consultation on the project that included in-person and virtual community consultations.

“The events were well attended and we have seen very robust response rates,” the statement said.

However, Stewart said Nav Canada did not provide the City of Coquitlam with sufficient information about the impact of the new flight routes.

“We say to Nav Canada: just listen to us and let’s have a dialogue. Not this one-way consultation process.”

One of the suggested flight routes is via Angela Tatto’s home in the Maillardville neighborhood of Coquitlam.

Angela Tatto, a resident of the Maillardville neighborhood of Coquitlam, is concerned about what changes in YVR flight paths will mean for the noise around her home. (Yasmin Gandham/CBC)

Tatto said during a Nav Canada community meeting she attended, she was told a plane would fly over the area about every four to five minutes, emitting about 60 decibels (dBA) of sound.

“It’s harmful to the community, it’s harmful to people’s health, it’s harmful to all the students who are in the schools in this area.”

Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Regulations require that noise exposure levels average no more than 87 dBA over an eight-hour period.

This means that workers can be exposed to sound levels in excess of 87 dBA in the short term, as long as the average over 8 hours does not exceed 87 dBA.

According to HealthlinkBC, the effects of noise can vary from person to person, but in general only noise above 85 dBA is harmful.

‘Constant Noise’

Tatto said current ambient noise in her neighborhood is around 45 to 48 decibels.

“When I bought here 11 years ago…you don’t have that constant noise of an airplane overhead.”

Port Moody’s City Council has sent a formal request to Nav Canada to reconsider the location of the routes.

“These flights will fly over the exact same apartment buildings over and over again,” Mayor Meghan Lahti said.

Port Moody City Council has issued a formal request to NAV CANADA asking them to consider possible changes to flight routes in the Vancouver metropolitan area as part of a proposal to modernize the airspace around Vancouver International Airport. Details: pic.twitter.com/b8bfvuSUeZ

–@CityofPoMo

Lahti said the council would not support the project unless more information was provided about possible impacts.

“There are concerns about the governance model for Nav Canada and the fact that they are not really accountable to anyone. They are certainly not accountable to the residents they influence,” Lahti said.

Nav Canada charges airlines and customers to fund its operations rather than relying on government funding. It also receives revenue from the development and sale of in-flight navigation technology and related services.

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