Who are we?
An assembly of residents from different mid-town Toronto communities, some with involvement in rate payer associations, that have been negatively affected by a concentrated flight path over our homes and neighbourhoods, brought on by NAV CANADA, without proper consultation with affected communities or their elected representatives.
What do we want?
A fair and equitable distribution of Pearson airport arrivals traffic over mid-town Toronto that works with NAV CANADA design standards and safety practices, and achieves maximum noise mitigation with improved approach design to achieve that mitigation.
What happened?
February 9, 2012 – NAV CANADA redesigned the Windsor-Toronto-Montreal air routes above 10,000′ ASL. In addition to those changes, the Toronto approach corridor for runways 24L/R (below 6000′ ASL) were concentrated and relocated 1.8km south of the original path to address ICAO design recommendations for the arrivals approach path, and improve safety. To date, our organisation has never had a fully explainable rationale as to why this change.
Who represents us politically?
- Former M.P. John Carmichael (Don Valley West) has championed our concerns between 2013 and 2015 with former Minister of Transport – Lisa Raitt, as well as to NAV CANADA.
- Current M.P. Rob Oliphant (Don Valley West) has been briefed on the history of aviation noise over Don Valley West and is supportive of the impacts to residents.
- M.P. Carolyn Bennett has raised the issue with former Minister of Transport – Lisa Raitt, as well as written to previous Ministers of Transport.
- M.P.P. Kathleen Wynne (Don Valley West) has written former Minister of Transport- Lisa Raitt, expressing her concerns over the impacts to Toronto residents.
- Local Toronto councillors for affected wards have been engaged to varying degrees.
- Councillor Jon Burnside is leading a coalition of local councillors to champion this issue with council and the mayor
- Councillor Josh Matlow has raised motions at Toronto City Hall asking the City Manager to request NAV CANADA review the new design and seek alternatives to lessen the impact.
What’s next?
Continue with education of newly-elected federal representatives in the Toronto region where residents are impacted by NAV CANADA February 2012 local airspace changes. In addition, we continue to lobby our elected officials to engage current Minister of Transport – Marc Garneau, to resolve the NAV CANADA model as currently impacts residents across Canada.
Previous efforts yielded awareness through M.P. John Carmichael (Don Valley West) and his efforts were recognized by former Minister of Transport – Lisa Raitt, to engage with NAV CANADA to resolve this situation caused by the runway 24 L/R approach redesign.
- TANG Briefing Notes Media Version
- Microsoft PowerPoint – TANG JUNE-2014 PPT REV-11
- TANG – communication points
NOTE:
T.A.N.G. submission to former Minister of Transport – Lisa Raitt
Our Name:
Previously, this blog was referred to as North Toronto Aviation Noise. Since December 2012, the Toronto Aviation Noise Group (T.A.N.G.), made up of affected residents, was formed.
This residents’ organisation has grown in response to the unjust noise brought on by growth in Pearson airport business and NAV CANADA’s decision to concentrate traffic over our neighbourhoods at all hours of the day and night, causing us great concerns for health, sleep loss, and property enjoyment. We need more ratepayer associations and residents taking an active part in protecting Toronto resident’s health, property enjoyment, and neighbourhood enjoyment, against the noise now conveyed upon us by NAV CANADA, without resident or elected representative consultation. This has been a repeat pattern of NAV CANADA in British Columbia for Richmond/Surrey B.C. in 2007.
History: Toronto Pearson development and aviation noise chronology
Correspondence
Please send all posts to this site. The posts will be reviewed and the writer will be contacted to seek permission to include interested persons on a distribution list, soley for the purpose of communicating aviation noise issue affecting our neighbourhoods.
Alternatively, you may write directly to: gr392.planes@gmail.com
Helping out: t.a.n.g.help.now@gmail.com
* canvassing, flyer distribution, campaigning residents’/neighbours’ awareness for this issue
Thank you for your support.
T.A.N.G. 
4AM! Just woken up by a plane roaring overhead. I live in the St. Clair Wychwood area. My house was literally shaking with vibrations. I started browsing online because this “Pearson Alarm Clock Thing” has been happening more and more to me. Is it just me, or are others getting woken up? Is it just me, or are there more planes making more noise these days?
Sincerely,
Sleepless in Wychwood.
It’s time we band together and fight this insane level of jet engine noise bombardment in our community. I believe a protest is in order. If anyone knows of a way we can make our voices heard altogether, in the most effective way possible then please let me know. I live near keele and Sheppard and the jets just NEVER stop. There is literally not a moment I am not listening to a plane drown out whatever I am doing. Forget the backyard. Can’t even use it anymore. But to not be able to sleep or watch tv or talk on the phone without some bloody monstrous roaring overhead is unacceptable. Anyone interested in an active group protest please contact me at suchacleverboy@gmail.com
Check for an update on T.A.N.G.’s activities being posted on our website Feb 14th 2015
Did you hear that Pearson has gotten approval to increase night flights? They can go up to 45 flights by 2014 (an increase of 10). Meanwhile Heathrow Airport is restricted to 16 night flights and Sydney (Australia) to 9. Something is very wrong.
If you happen to have your phone with you and you see a very low flying plane, take a photo and post it (date and time) on our twitter account – @TOPlaneNoise.
I agree – the flights are too low, too loud, and too often. It is really important to contact the http://www.torontopearson.com/en/noisecomplaint/# site and register a noise complaint whenever the flights are either too low, too loud, or too often (sorry to be repetitive). I typically register a complaint once a week. They are tracking the complaints. At this stage NAV Canada is saying they aren’t getting very many complaints (although they did note an increase last year) – so we have to raise awareness and get more people registering complaints on an on-going basis.
Get your neighbours to register complaints as well. Put the url on your facebook account if you have one. T.A.N.G. has also started a new petition (both a paper version and an on-line version). Josh Matlow and Carolyn Bennett have both signed the paper version. Please get anyone in your household 18 or over to sign our petition: http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/nav-canada-noise-over-toronto. Contact your neighbours, friends, associates on facebook and get them to sign the petition.
While John Carmichael and Carolyn Bennett are aware of this problem, it helps if they get either emails or letters outlining your concern. So send your federal politician a letter. This is going to require a political solution. Step 1 is providing our politicians with ammunition to force change – we need the numbers.
One of the TANG members is going to set up a twitter account – probably incorporating the Toronto Aviation Noise Group name. So if you have a twitter account, be on the look out.
Hi Maija Kimens,
I have lived in Mid town TO since 1978 and the aircraft noise problem has got steadily worse especially over the last few years. I contacted Transport Canada last year and they responded that they could do nothing without the specific aircraft ID number. Clearly they are useless. I can only suggest that you report to the GTAA using their computerized on-line form any aircraft you find unusually noisy. This is what I am doing. Aircraft are now flying so low that you can read the tail insignia as to whether WJA or AC airline. Hopefully if enough reports are made then action will eventually be taken. However I am not optimistic. It seems no part of the City is free from aircraft noise from the waterfront to North York.
Loudon Young
Attention Blog Moderator , please note I made an error in my email info and corrected it for your attention. Thank you. I would like to join your group so please contact me with information on how I can become more involved.
Thank you, Maija
EAST YORK is being affected by this as well. I live by Coxwell and O’Connor and there are many homes that are being torn down and rebuilt to million dollar properties. It is disconcerting to be listening to low flying jet planes throughout the evening until the early hours of the morning. Noise pollution is a quailty of life issue and there are large planes flying over many parts of East York on a regular basis. When I contacted the GTAA I was given an explantion that jets can sometimes opt to fly over Lake Ontario and to turns even outside of designated flight paths if there is sky space available. I would like to join your group . I live in Ward 29. I will send your link to Peter Tabuns our MP. Thank you, Maija Kimens
Some of the planes flying over East York are from the island Airport. The plane noise is really bad these days over the Beach and East York because of this. If they add jets to the airport, not only will the noise increase, but so will the flight numbers. Please sign the on-line petition to stop jets and tell everyone you know. thanks:http://www.nojetsto.ca/
Just wondering if Josh Matlow has had anything to share since his successful motion to meet with NAV Canada and other related parties about the air traffic noise problem.
Wow – how could they possibly expect anyone to have the registration # of a noisy plane? They just hope people will get worn down and stop complaining. I hope you have also written to your member of parliament, signed the petition on this site, and can get as many of your neighbours to do so as possible as well 🙂