In October 2018, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities decided to undertake a study on aircraft noise in areas surrounding major Canadian airports. The committee’s study examined the impact aircraft noise has on residents living near major airports, how this noise is measured, monitored, and addressed by airports and other responsible entities, and actions the federal government can take to minimize the effects such noise has on communities while ensuring Canada’s air transportation system remains safe and efficient.

Several key issues emerged during the committee’s study, including a lack of available data on many aspects of Canadian airport operations, questions over the accuracy and possible outdatedness of the tools Canada currently uses for measuring and predicting the effect of aircraft noise on individuals, and a public perception of inadequate consultation, transparency, and oversight exercised by individual airport authorities and NAV CANADA.

Numerous citizens told the committee that living under flight paths has decreased their quality of life and led to concerns over short and long-term health effects due to noise-related stress and interrupted sleep. Several witnesses also expressed frustration with the measures in place for receiving and addressing noise complaints at local airports, with some describing what they see as an absence of transparency and public accountability among the private entities responsible for dealing with noise issues. Several witnesses also expressed their opinion that airport authorities and NAV CANADA do not pursue meaningful public consultation before making operational decisions that expose communities to noise.

Several local airport authorities as well as NAV CANADA testified to the committee that they take noise complaints from the public seriously and are actively pursuing noise-reducing measures designed to minimize the impact of airport operations on surrounding residential communities. Transport Canada explained that it felt Canada’s privatized air transportation system operated well and that the federal government’s current self-regulatory approach allows airports and NAV CANADA the flexibility necessary to respond to local noise concerns with limited oversight from Ottawa.

Several experts noted that a lack of Canadian data on many aspects of aircraft operations makes it difficult to formulate detailed, evidence-based recommendations on noise mitigation. Experts also told the committee that the main tool Canada uses to measure aircraft noise and predict its effect on individuals, the Noise Exposure Forecast, does not reflect the latest scientific evidence on how human beings perceive and tolerate noise. Witnesses cited several international best practices in aircraft noise management that have been implemented in Australia, the European Union and other industrialized countries that serve to mitigate noise while ensuring a safe and vibrant air transportation sector.