Incompatible: Why the Toronto Island Airport is ruining the Waterfront

Brian Iler, the Chair of CommunityAIR, explains why the expanded Toronto Island Airport is incompatible with Waterfront renewal. The increased use of the airport will bring added air pollution, noise and poses a major safety hazard to the growing population in the immediate area. The federal government, the province and the city along with private sector partners are spending billions of dollars to create new live/work communities along the city's waterfront. The airport is in the centre of this redevelopment. It is in the city's largest park, adjacent to a bird sanctuary, the harbour and Lake Ontario, our greatest recreational resource. Iler clearly demonstrates that a busy airport in this location will remain a blight on the entire city as long as it continues to operate. When the airport closes and its traffic is transferred to Peason, then the 215 acres of airport land can be liberated to provide a location for spectacular facilities open to all citizens.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Community Air
• toronto harbour
• porter

[The53Morris]

Why are folks so angry about noise and air pollution complaints? I can't believe that there are advocates for these issues - do you want MORE noise and green house gases? I live on the waterfront and watch neighbours tour the area pushing strollers with infants while unburned hydrocarbons shower down on us from the great noise in the sky - one plane after another. Now neighbours shout to be heard over the constant roar of engines, or don't talk at all...and we don't hang around outside,sad.

[nilsca]

"excessive noise" no way - anyone not wanting to live 'in' a vibrant city with many alternatives simply move elsewhere. Brian can work on fast link to Montreal and New York - I have no problem with that. Come back in 20 years when that's in place.

[111olbap]

Brian... people like you are why Toronto has a broken economy.

"I live down town in a metropolis of five million people. It's too noisy and there's too much pollutiion".

And by the way, TCC's clearance of "the wind turbine", nearby buildings and "the bird sanctuary" as you refer to the Leslie spit, is AMPLE by global standards. Have you seen Lukla airport in Nepal? Or the old Kai Tak in Hong Kong? Get OVER yourself. Yuppies man...

[dtilley]

this guy is an idiot!!!

[sgabriel]

Question: Do 70 people flying from Montreal to Toronto on a Q400 pollute more than their driving the same distance in pairs in 35 SUVs?

Question: What is the fly-over noise level of a Q400 vs that of a Cessna Skylane or Commander 114? Or vs that of a Dash-7, Shorts, Buffalo, or other "short takeoff and landing" aircraft?

And to be clear: the airport would not remain open another moment if its runway lengths, overrun areas, or any other safety standards did not rise to international norms.

[sgabriel]

Thanks for this! It was great to see, and hear, the Commander 114 glide past at around 3:30!

[007Airpilot]

This is full of inaccuracies, but of course whoever is in charge only leaves the favourable posts?????

[007Airpilot]

Be careful, this video is full of mis-leading information

[BeeRich33]

Fabulous development? It's been labelled a complete disaster. Did you miss that part? The airport was there decades before any of those ugly buildings were slotted in without any respect for the development of the waterfront.

Second, I don't see how a tall building with a Starbucks at the base, is an economic driver for the waterfront.

If you are so disturbed, then move to the country where you aren't disturbed. Moving into that environment you should know what to expect. Bad choice!

[jailbreak2000]

Those little planes look like fun.

Frankly, it's the condo towers that are the blight on the landscape.