Thank you, gentlemen, for appearing today.
For those from Langley and New Westminster--the township of Langley and the city of Langley--I am somewhat familiar with the west coast issues.
Mayor Fassbender, Colin Wright, and Jim Lowrie from the two Langleys and New Westminster, and we had witnesses by telephone again earlier this week--on Tuesday, in fact--from both Richmond and New Westminster. They were representing residents groups who had expressed concerns about train whistle and railway noise from rail operations, particularly from the shunting of cars. I know that in the case of New Westminster there was a suggestion that a number of high-rise towers were within 100 metres of some of the railway track.
I am wondering if perhaps the three gentlemen I've mentioned could give reference to the issue of train whistles and the shunting noise and how they see the authority in proposed sections 95.1 and 95.3 in particular.
Jim Lowrie, you said that under proposed subsection 95.3(1), that “may” should be ”must”. Do you have any suggestions with respect to that and to whether the term “unreasonable noise” is adequate, or whether there needs to be a closer definition, either closer to World Health designations, or whether some decibel level should be set?