To Mayor Rob Ford:

I live near the island airport, and am suffering from sleep deprivation because of the noise the airport makes. I’m now reaching the point of total exhaustion and want to ask, at what point is airport noise considered excessive. Who makes this determination? You or we the people.

The Tripartite Agreement, which gives the federal port authority license to operate the island airport, is very clear. If airport noise becomes excessive, airport operations can be shut down, as a violation of the Tripartite Agreement. 98% of harbourfront residents believe the island airport has passed the community standard of excessive noise, and should be shut down.

 What is the process for closing this excessively noisy airport? Who can we the people  sue to get some satisfaction in this matter? Is the city able to assist its residents with this, or would you rather support the federal port authority and keep the island airport operating full time, despite negative consequences for the health of residents of Toronto.

 Let me describe what the airport does, and how it ignores normal human codes of decency, as far as creating a neighborhood disturbance is concerned. The island airport  operates at industrial strength noise levels from 6 am until 11 pm, every day, every week, all year long. This gives no rest, and no break from the industrial level of noise which invades our homes all day long, every day, and this is building shaking noise.

 Noise regulations limit air flights out of the airport, but there are no limits on noise from  airport ground operations. It’s these ground operations which are excessively noisy. Engine run-ups, driving plane engines at full blast for pre-flight maintenance, shake neighboring buildings, and can be heard as far away as Bay Street. Helicopters idle motors for hours. The airport ferry horn blasts so loudly it can be heard two blocks away. Airport maintenance sometimes operates all night long, waking nearby residents with never-ending construction noise, and loud crashing sounds that penetrate solid walls.

 Why are city noise bylaws banning loud noise after 11 pm not being applied to the island airport. In my personal experience, I am being awakened so often by airport noise that I’m getting only 3-4 hours of sleep every night, and this is severely affecting my health and my performance at work. My blood pressure is soaring and my heart is pounding. Basically, the island airport is making me sick.

 In an online survey of Harbourfront residents, more than 98% of respondents said that airport noise is too loud, and they wish to see flights banned after 10 pm, with an airport quiet time from 10 pm to 8 am. Can the city help the Harbourfront community with this,and either impose airport quiet times between 10 pm and 8 am, or close the airport because of the violation of the Tripartite Agreement condition on excessive noise.

 Max Moore, Harbourfront Community Association