On February 4, David Wilson commenting on the number of noise complaints on this blog hit the nail squarely when he wrote, “What purpose is served when the simple fact is that the authorities who could do something about these breaches, won’t, just as they haven’t for well nigh 25 years?”

Interestingly, 25 years ago was 1984.  John Turner took over from Pierre Trudeau and since then the government alternated between the Conservatives and Liberals starting with Brian Mulroney and ending with Stephen Harper, with Kim Campbell, Jean Chretien and Paul Martin in between.  As David Wilson points out government policy towards the island airport hasn’t changed.

Hopes that the government would take a fresh look at the need for the airport have been dashed several times.  Yes, the fixed link, read bridge, was nixed when Paul Martin in election mode promised that Ottawa would listen to local government.  The Liberals won Toronto and true to his word, Prime Minister Martin stopped the bridge, at least for the time being. 

The change was made through an Order-in-Council, a regulatory order formulated by Cabinet or a committee of Cabinet and formally approved by the governor general.  Ominously, it can be just as easily reversed when the prime minister of the day judges it politically acceptable to do so.

Hope reared its fruitless head again when newly elected Stephen Harper was quoted on City TV.  “ I am troubled by some of the decisions that have been made regarding the port authority and the island airport. We are determined to get to the bottom of it.”  The bottom was reached when Roger Tasse, the Harper government’s appointed commissioner, released his report calling for the status quo.

Why, after 25 years, six different prime ministers and three changes of federal government, and the previous and the current city government against the existence of the island airport have matters worsened? 

Not only is the flight time curfew being broken constantly but the aircraft of choice by its very noise signature violates the Tripartite Agreement on noise limits with each take-off and landing.  Port authority officials take cursory action at most by fining the perpetrators for late night landings.  Complaints about the Q400 noise profile are ignored.  Is no one minding the shop?

The one constant in those 25 years has been the Transport Canada bureaucracy.  Politicians come and go but, as anyone who has watched the BBC television production Yes Minister is aware, the bureaucrats are the constant and seem to run the show. 

While we are led to believe that the government of the day is in charge of policy, it seems strange that although the Paul Martin government wobbled a bit by declaring the bridge dead, the current government has expanded on the status quo by expanding the airport’s capacity and service. 

On June 1, 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin wrote to Mayor David Miller promising the end to the bridge.  Eleven months later, the government announced a $35 million settlement that ensured the airport would survive without the bridge.  It would be naïve to think that the Martin Liberals were the driving force behind the initiative.  Ruling parties change; bureaucracies don’t.
 
The bureaucrats at the head of Transport Canada are a particularly resilient lot. Between them, the Deputy Minister and the Associate Deputy Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities have close to 60 years as career civil servants.
 
Transport Canada’s Policy Group develops, recommends and coordinates and offers advice, analysis and data on transportation issues, system performance and stakeholder positions.  The Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, and the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy have both held positions within the Privy Council Office, close to the federal seat of power

While it is tempting to cite the politicians of the day for the continuation and expansion of the island airport, we might take a second look at the bureaucrats.  They have a longevity in government matched only by senators.  Also, they have a knowledge of how things are done that no MP could hope to match.  Experience within the Privy Council Office gives them power as well.

These people and their colleagues are part of the laptop and briefcase set from Ottawa who find the island airport service so convenient for their meetings in Toronto.  Why would they want to give up a perk that they have been enjoying for the last 25 years for the sake of the environment, Toronto’s waterfront development or the many airport neighbours impacted negatively by 368 flights a week? 

As David Wilson said, “What purpose is served when the simple fact is that the authorities who could do something about these breaches, won’t, just as they haven’t for well nigh 25 years?”

Bob Kotyk