Petition asks Canadian government to reconsider proposed flight path changes over Burnaby

A group of local residents has started a petition to the federal government asking it to reconsider a NAV Canada proposal that would create more air traffic over Burnaby.

Stanis Smith, who lives in Capitol Hill and has worked in airport design throughout his career as an architect, told the Beacon that the petition asks Transport Canada to commission an independent review of the potential noise impacts of the new flight path using current global standards, rather than the “outdated ones” used by NAV Canada.

Smith compared the proposal to “a freeway over your house”, and said it will negatively impact the health, well-being, and property values of those who live under the proposed flight path.

The proposal would see more planes flying over parts of North Burnaby including neighbourhoods north of Hastings Street, the Lochdale Urban Village, Forest Grove, and the Lougheed Town Centre.

NAV Canada said in February that the increased plane traffic would not correlate to a large increase in noise pollution in the affected areas, but the proposal has raised concerns among North Burnaby residents.

During public consultation, the organization said it received 14 emails from North Burnaby residents who were specifically concerned about those impacts.

A staff report to Burnaby city council earlier this year said residents told NAV Canada they “already face adjacencies with various construction activities, traffic, and uses such as the Parkland Refinery, Westridge Terminal, marine industries, and the Rail Corridor.”

NAV Canada said the increase in noise when an aircraft passes by will likely land between 55 and 60 decibels (dB)—equivalent to a “normal conversation between people”. Smith, however, suggested that Transport Canada should adhere to international standards on noise pollution.

“The European Environment Agency (EEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend aircraft noise levels below 45 dB during the day and below 40 dB at night,” Smith wrote.

He also noted that an increase of 10 dB actually makes a sound seem twice as loud—meaning that “55 dB is more than double the limits generally recommended by the EEA and WHO”.

Smith wants an independent review and an environmental assessment to look at how different areas of Burnaby would be specifically affected by aircraft noise based on their individual terrain, pointing out that areas like Capitol Hill and even Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam sit at a much higher altitude than other areas and would therefore experience higher noise levels.

Others have raised those concerns too. A report to Burnaby city council in February noted that the tallest mix-use building proposed in Lougheed Town Centre would be 850 feet above ground level.

Coun Pietro Calendino said at a council meeting that the proposal is “creating a lot of anxiety among many of the residents in all of the communities [impacted], including Burnaby.”

“I think redirecting flight paths away from Oakridge and over Burnaby North, which has higher buildings than Oakridge does, is stupidity in the worst case,” he said.

“[This environmental assessment] should propose mitigation strategies, including meaningful community engagement, revisions to the proposed flightpaths to reduce impacts on residential areas, and restrictions such as curfews that will reduce nighttime noise,” Smith wrote.

The petition he started with a group of other Burnaby residents is sponsored by Port-Moody Coquitlam MP Bonita Zarrillo, and has so far garnered just over 600 signatures.

E-petitions that gather at least 500 signatures within a certain date are presented to the House of Commons and tabled for a government response.

A group of local residents has started a petition to the federal government asking it to reconsider a NAV Canada proposal that would create more air traffic over Burnaby.

Stanis Smith, who lives in Capitol Hill and has worked in airport design throughout his career as an architect, told the Beacon that the petition asks Transport Canada to commission an independent review of the potential noise impacts of the new flight path using current global standards, rather than the “outdated ones” used by NAV Canada.

Smith compared the proposal to “a freeway over your house”, and said it will negatively impact the health, well-being, and property values of those who live under the proposed flight path.

The proposal would see more planes flying over parts of North Burnaby including neighbourhoods north of Hastings Street, the Lochdale Urban Village, Forest Grove, and the Lougheed Town Centre.

NAV Canada said in February that the increased plane traffic would not correlate to a large increase in noise pollution in the affected areas, but the proposal has raised concerns among North Burnaby residents.

During public consultation, the organization said it received 14 emails from North Burnaby residents who were specifically concerned about those impacts.

A staff report to Burnaby city council earlier this year said residents told NAV Canada they “already face adjacencies with various construction activities, traffic, and uses such as the Parkland Refinery, Westridge Terminal, marine industries, and the Rail Corridor.”

NAV Canada said the increase in noise when an aircraft passes by will likely land between 55 and 60 decibels (dB)—equivalent to a “normal conversation between people”. Smith, however, suggested that Transport Canada should adhere to international standards on noise pollution.

“The European Environment Agency (EEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend aircraft noise levels below 45 dB during the day and below 40 dB at night,” Smith wrote.

He also noted that an increase of 10 dB actually makes a sound seem twice as loud—meaning that “55 dB is more than double the limits generally recommended by the EEA and WHO”.

Smith wants an independent review and an environmental assessment to look at how different areas of Burnaby would be specifically affected by aircraft noise based on their individual terrain, pointing out that areas like Capitol Hill and even Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam sit at a much higher altitude than other areas and would therefore experience higher noise levels.

Others have raised those concerns too. A report to Burnaby city council in February noted that the tallest mix-use building proposed in Lougheed Town Centre would be 850 feet above ground level.

Coun Pietro Calendino said at a council meeting that the proposal is “creating a lot of anxiety among many of the residents in all of the communities [impacted], including Burnaby.”

“I think redirecting flight paths away from Oakridge and over Burnaby North, which has higher buildings than Oakridge does, is stupidity in the worst case,” he said.

“[This environmental assessment] should propose mitigation strategies, including meaningful community engagement, revisions to the proposed flightpaths to reduce impacts on residential areas, and restrictions such as curfews that will reduce nighttime noise,” Smith wrote.

The petition he started with a group of other Burnaby residents is sponsored by Port-Moody Coquitlam MP Bonita Zarrillo, and has so far garnered just over 600 signatures.

E-petitions that gather at least 500 signatures within a certain date are presented to the House of Commons and tabled for a government response.