One solution to airport problem

Dear Editor,

I didn’t attend the recent airport town hall meeting with the other 175 people because it would’ve been a waste of time.

For the past three years, I have called the airport to complain dozens and dozens of times about the excessive noise and planes flying over my home. There have been many times when I have had to stop a conversation in my yard with someone because the sound of the planes drowned us out.

I have attended two airport town hall meetings as well as the airport community committee.

I have personally spoken to the airport manager, the operations manager, the mayor and at least three elected city officials as well as city staff to complain about the excessive noise especially from the flight schools.

For months now, I’ve been hearing about the air quality and noise study only to realize it was conducted only on the airport lands. The latest news is that it is going to be expanded to include residential neighbourhoods in the area, which it should’ve from the very beginning.

There is only one way of improving relationships between residents and the Oshawa Executive Airport and that’s to get rid of the flight training schools. An urban airport surrounded by dense residential areas is no place to operate flight training schools. As an owner of one of the flight training schools stated, “The training planes fly low and they’re loud”.

There have been scientific documented studies, including one by the World Health Organization, that has proven excessive noise leads to health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart and stroke issues – not to mention aggravating mental health concerns.

So now we have more delays, more studies and more meetings – analysis paralysis – while the quality of life of Oshawa residents is seriously affected.

How about some action for a change? 

Bill Shepherd