Recent blogs about airport noise and pollution, and the trade-offs required for air transportation, got me thinking.

I grew up under an O’Hare Airport flight path, north of Chicago. The number of planes was always increasing, and the air overhead was rarely quiet. We had to stop talking when planes took off or landed because the noise drowned us out. Both my grade school and high school were near flight paths, and teachers had to stop their lessons when planes took off or landed. We were strong believers in progress then and didn’t complain.

It was only years later, when residents were contracting more cancer than normal, that my town commissioned the study that showed a higher risk of cancer for those living within 30 miles of the airport. I was stunned, since I’ve lived with cancer for years now. Whatever the cause of my cancer, I no longer believe in that kind of progress. Nor do I want it for my children or the children of Malton or children on Toronto’s waterfront.

It makes sense to end the reliance on short-haul flights, at the very least, by promoting high-speed trains, as Europe is doing.

A friend