Mr. Freeman:

The 2001 Canadian census contradicts your contention that "many more people" live near Pearson than live near Toronto City Centre Airport. As of 2001, 58,000 people lived in the census tracts in and near Malton; 38000 lived in the census tracts opposite the airport, roughly in the area bounded by Strachan, Queen, and Cherry St. (the census boundaries may vary). 2000 people may have moved into South Toronto over the last eight years, but I suspect few of them live in the area closes to the airport. Looking at children, the disparity grows greater; as of 2001, about 4000 children lived in the waterfront area, to 12000 children in Malton. Nor does Pearson have any significant buffer zone. A residential neighbourhood begins across the road from the Pearson boundary fence, and flight paths for Pearson come within 300 meters of occupied dwellings. No commercial flight paths at City Centre come nearly that close to any occupied dwelling. about 150,000 people around Pearson live within the NEF (Noise Exposure Forecast) countour for Pearson; the corresponding contour for City Centre may not touch land.

John Godfrey Spragge