It was a tour de force!  Brian Iler and Adam Vaughan were spectacular.  Ken Lundy looked dazed and the representatives from Dillon appeared gobsmacked.  All those pretty posters on display and all the people milling saying, "this is a meeting?  This is a consultation?  This is a show!"   Brian Iler stepped up called the meeting to order by shouting for ORDER.   Adam Vaughan took the floor and said, "Mr. Lundy we want chairs in this meeting room.  And microphones so we can hear the questions." Mr. Lundy said:  "I don't know whether this room can handled chairs at all"  (Assembly room B at the Harbourfront Community Centre is routinely used for meetings involving chairs).   People marched out and brought in chairs. "Set it up like we always do" says Adam and Brian directly all 100 of us to line the chairs up in order.   There had been a bouncer-like man at the door preventing people from taking chairs - in fact he placed his hand on another attendee's arm in an attempt to frighten her into not taking a chair. But it didn't work.  With so many people the response was too overwhelming for even for one sour-looking man. 

 Also crowding into the room were CTV cameras and the print local media.

 Straight away, people shouted  THE TUNNEL IS A  FIXED LINK!  IT IS ILLEGAL.  WE DON'T WANT IT.
Fix the environmental mess that is already here. 

 Clean Train Coalition, supporters of CommunityAIR who are in turn are avid supporters of CTC were there to ask questions about the environment assessment.  Also in attendance, parents, waterfront dwellers and people from Northern Toronto, who all reminded us that the Islands are for everyone.  A School Trustee and a few teachers questioned Ken Lundy .. "We are concerned what is going on right now, never mind a riduculous tunnel.  We want to be heard.  You need to meet with the School Board.  There are two schools here!"  The York Quay neighbourhood association and the St. Lawrence Association and BQNA, who represent tens of thousands of people along the waterfront,  were there and angry that they had not received notice of this meeting at all.  Lundy admitted he didn't know the associations existed...  The anger continued.   All Lundy could say was, We are following the tripartite agreement.  The airport was built in 1930.  We are following the tripartite agreement.." Mr.  Lundy demonstrated that he and the TPA had no details, no information -- nothing to say except here are some pretty poster boards of a tunnel at  O'Hare (the busiest airport in the world) and  it will cost 45 MILLION DOLLARS....  "What is the point of this meeting" someone shouted. "You cannot answer a question." 

 Adam Vaughan read out a motion to the crowd demanding this tunnel be stopped until there was a proper consultation!  He demanded that the TPA provide information.  Saying, THIS IS NOT A CONSULTATION!  Show of hands... who wants more information and 4 more meetings!   Can you commit ,says Adam,  to Lundy and Dillon Consulting.  No they said.   Another mother said, MY CHILD HAS ASTHMA from this airport and I spent Christmas DAY with my child in hospital.  How was your Christmas?"  Another mother, "Do you plan to take Little Norway Park too?  These plans are for an expanded Airport and a tunnel large enough for vehicles.  When I moved here there were few planes!"  Lundy says no, we are not expanding, we are following the tripartite agreement -- this is no expansion.   How is doubling the flights to 212 slots NOT EXPANSION!  We were incredulous.  Someone else said "Chicago's mayor bulldozed their Island Airport. Left 17 planes stranded.  How can we stop you people!."  What will it take,  embers of the assembly shouted! "There were 3 planes lined up to leave last night -- engines whining .. the noise is AWFUL".  

 Lundy was able to answer one question: 

 Lundy:  The purpose of the tunnel is that it will be more reliable than the ferry.  

Crowd:  How is the ferry unreliable?

Lundy:  When the weather is bad the ferry isn't able to run. 

Crowd:  WHEN THE WEATHER IS BAD NO AIRCRAFT CAN LAND OR TAKE-OFF EITHER. 

 Indeed!  Everyone knows that when there is snow, wind, rain, smog and fog, Porter Airlines divert to Pearson and more recently to Hamilton.

 Mr. Lundy  also admitted that the TPA asked for the Environmental Assessment, picked the consultants, will give them the parameters of the assessment and will give themselves the go ahead to build the tunnel.  No other level of government needs to be involved.  "No accountability",  The entire assembly shouted in outrage!  We want to be heard.  We want an environmental assessment for the entire area.   Lundy says, this is how all agencies work.

 45 Million dollars?  someone asked.  Where is that money coming from?  By increasing user fees for everyone using the airport.   With an anticipated 1.3 million people a year -- how long until it is paid off?  Not my lifetime.  

 So there you have it.  The volunteers to fight the TPA are lining up.

 Lockwood