Airport Veto Gets Federal OK
By Paul Delahanty, www.blacklocks.ca
Parliamentary committees have passed a contentious amendment to federal law granting cabinet a veto over operations at Canadian airports. Industry executives cautioned the changes will see political meddling in management of airfields.
“There was no consultation,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who proposed the Minister of Transport be compelled to consult with airport operators before issuing federal orders on expansion, management and operations. “This amendment has been very controversial within the industry,” said May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C. May’s suggestion that cabinet “must consult” was defeated by the Conservative majority of the Commons finance committee on a 5-4 vote.
Cabinet’s amendment to the Aeronautics Act permits the transport minister to “make an order prohibiting the development or expansion of a given aerodrome or any change to the operation of a given aerodrome, if in the Minister’s opinion the proposed development, expansion or change is likely to adversely affect aviation safety or is not in the public interest.”
The amendment was inserted in the 315th page of a 478-page omnibus budget bill. “These measures don’t belong in a budget bill,” said MP Scott Brison, Liberal finance critic; “That seems rather quaint to say at this point.”
Brison cited concerns from the Canadian Bar Association that the amendment gives “overly broad” influence to cabinet. “This gives the Minister sweeping powers,” said Brison, MP for Kings-Hants, N.S. “The government says it’s doing this so that it can insist on public consultation, but the irony is these measures were put forward without public consultation.”
Transport Canada officials said they would consult with industry after the amendments become law. “Yes, there will be formal consultations – once the Act is passed,” said Shari Currie, acting director general of civil aviation at Transport Canada; “We would be consulting industry from probably January until March.”
Noise, Lights, Airspace
The Senate transport committee also approved the bill following testimony from community advocates attempting to block expansion of an airport in Burlington, Ont. “Currently the Act is basically 100 percent permissive,” said Vanessa Warren, spokesperson for the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition.”
“Airparks have no consultation mandate or process, and they don’t need to limit their noise, lighting, property line set-backs, or hours of operation,” Warren said; “Pilots often abuse airspace rules and become a serious interference on the lives of neighbouring residents.”
The Canadian Airports Council earlier warned the Act appeared to repeal a 1994 National Airports Policy that transferred control of airfields to local authorities. “This change involved a well-considered and deliberate de-politicization of the kinds of decisions that would seem to come back under the Minister’s control if these amendments go through,” Daniel-Robert Gooch, council president, earlier testified at the Senate transport committee.
“How would a determination of ‘public interest’ be made?” Gooch said. “What kind of operational changes would be subject to Ministerial intervention? We do not know.”
Manitoba Conservative Senator Don Plett said he feared current laws give local authorities too much say over airport management. “As a federal government the interest has to be for the entire country and all Canadians, and not just one municipality,” Plett said. “When we give too much authority to municipalities to veto, if you will, certain issues, I see that as being problematic for not only aerodromes but for many other issues.”
“We need to be careful when we give too much authority, certainly to municipalities,” Plett said. Canada has some 5,000 small, unregistered airfields, by official estimate.