Joe - the first answer is in section 34 of the tripartite agreement:

(4) The actual 'NEF Contours prepared in accordance with subsection (1) shall
include the noise attributable to helicopters for any calendar year during which flight paths were
required to be followed for at least half of that year pursuant to section 35.

Section 35 states:
if the Lessor demonstrates that in the immediately preceding calendar year or the then current calendar year:
(a) the total number of all helicopter movements has exceeded four thousand
(4,000); or
(b) the number of heavy helicopter movements has exceeded five hundred
(5001,
the Lessor by notice may require the Minister within one hundred eighty (180) days of receipt of
such notice to specify flight paths for all helicopters operating to or from the Toronto City Centre
Airport.

There is no exclusion for training flights - and there shouldn't be - this is about noise.

Porter's operating agreement with the TPA is not public - the TPA and Porter claim it is confidential. But Lisa Raitt has confirmed at a TPA AGM that Porter is bound by the tripartite agreement. Of course.

Bottom line - helicopter noise is included in the NEF COntour study, and, to our knowledge, all of the studies to date that calculate the number of slots availabe to commercial passenger operations have omitted that consideration.

I would think that that omission would be of grave concern to all the people funding Porter's current gazillion-dollar expansion.

Perhaps Porter's move to a bigger market, and a much more favourable regulatory regime at Pearson should happen sooner than later. AS we know, that's precisely what happened to Air Ontario/Air Canada Jazz.

Brian Iler