Evidence of meeting #123 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was actually.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much, Mr. Lachapelle.
You have some very good points. Thank you very much.
We'll move on to Mr. Iacono.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here this morning.
Mr. Kaiser, Montreal's public health authority has conducted several studies on noise, which led to the publication of a public health notice on the health risks associated with noise from aircraft movements at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
Could you send this document to the clerk, as well as all the others you mentioned this morning? We'd also like to receive two other very intersting documents, the public health notice on transport noise and its potential impact on the health of Montrealers, and “Le bruit et la santé; État de la situation”.
Medical Officer, Urban Environment Service and Healthy Lifestyle, Direction de santé publique de Montréal
Yes. Absolutely.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
You've certainly done a lot of studies. Are there any others that should be conducted with respect to this issue? What aspects should be focused on?
Medical Officer, Urban Environment Service and Healthy Lifestyle, Direction de santé publique de Montréal
That's a very good question.
Of course we want to know more and better document the problem. Let me come back to what I said earlier: noise is harmful to health, and we have already gathered very good evidence on this subject. In Montreal, we are one step ahead of several other major Canadian cities in the collection of city-specific data. That being said, work is currently under way in several cities, including Toronto and Vancouver, to do the same documentation work. It is important to collect data locally if you want to take action that is appropriate for the region. It is of course possible to use data from other associations, but it should be possible to rely on specific data. In Toronto, for example, will the proportion of people who say they are very bothered by noise be 2%, 3%? This remains to be verified.
What is essential, as I said at the end of my presentation, is to have access to the data in order to do follow-up. This is a real need. This is not about research, but rather what is called surveillance in public health. A sufficient understanding of what is happening with respect not only to noise levels generated, but also to air movements is required to ensure that health interventions can be implemented. For example, it is necessary to understand the increase in certain types of trajectories and the movements of arriving and departing airlines, as well as the potential impact of all this, before looking for ways to work on them. Once again, the need for data is paramount.
The next step is to get the right people around the table, who should agree on a noise control policy at both the provincial and federal levels. This does not necessarily require more data, but action. Data must be integrated into work at the political level.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
You've spoken a lot about data. If you have any documents on the subject, be they on the status of the situation or analyses, could you share them with us?
Medical Officer, Urban Environment Service and Healthy Lifestyle, Direction de santé publique de Montréal
Yes, I'll send you all the scientific articles we have, as well as the notices mentioned earlier.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
Perfect.
Who are the members of the Soundscape Consultative Committee, do you know?
Medical Officer, Urban Environment Service and Healthy Lifestyle, Direction de santé publique de Montréal
This committee was set up when the public health branch began working on noise issues related to the airport. At the moment, in Montreal, there is no functional committee made up of all the stakeholders in the field.
Medical Officer, Urban Environment Service and Healthy Lifestyle, Direction de santé publique de Montréal
There were some at the beginning, and the public health branch was also present. It should be noted that Aéroports de Montréal has legal obligations in this regard and that the company has formed its own committee. There is no longer an intersectoral committee like the one established initially, almost 10 years ago.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
We could say today that this committee is ineffective, couldn't we?
November 29th, 2018 / 9:15 a.m.
Medical Officer, Urban Environment Service and Healthy Lifestyle, Direction de santé publique de Montréal
Yes. In fact, it no longer exists in this format.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
Thank you.
Mr. Lachapelle, you mentioned a petition and the fact that it had been brushed aside. And the response from the minister at the time was apparently a bit evasive.
Could you elaborate on that? What was the intent of the petition?
President, Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau
The petition was filed in 2013. I have to say that our thinking, at Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau, has evolved since then. The petition contained a number of requests, but the three main ones were: a review of landing paths at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, the presence of public representatives on the airport's board of directors and the issue of curfew.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
Mr. Lachapelle, could you please provide shorter answers; otherwise, I won't have time to get answers to all my questions.
What year was the petition organized?
President, Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau
You're asking me what was in the petition, right?
President, Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau
I made three requests. First, there was the issue of the curfew. Next, as I explained, there was the issue of flight paths. Lastly, the third thing had to do with the make-up of the airport's board of directors.
President, Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau
It was filed in early 2013 by three MPs: Ms. Mourani, Mr. Garneau, who was replacing Stéphane Dion in his absence, and an NDP MP whose name I always forget, who represented the Lac-Saint-Louis and Dorval region.
President, Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau
We received an acknowledgement of receipt from the House of Commons, signed by Ms. Raitt. I could send you the form we received. It was flatly refused. She responded that our requests came under the Montreal airport. It was what we call in French, in Quebec, a “maison de fous”, or a madhouse: you're sent from kiosk to kiosk, door to door, to find a solution.
It's a merry-go-round for citizens.