Transport Canada’s recent Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) for Responsible Aerodrome Development will severely impact small private and public airstrips and their vital role in communities and local economies.

The Aeronautics Act was changed in December 2014 to give the Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt the power to prohibit aerodromes for safety or public interest reasons.

The revised Act now states that public consultations are required before any new aerodrome development or operational changes to existing aerodromes begin. This applies to all aerodromes, from large commercial airports to non-commercial, private grass strips.

The NPA is set to become part of the Canadian Aviation Regulations and is being circulated to the Canadian Aviation Regulatory Advisory Committee (CARAC) and wider aviation community for input before it becomes law.

However, the NPA is not evidence-based. It’s politically driven. It’s confusing and ambiguous and will lead to onerous public consultations that are costly and time-consuming.

Is it reasonable that criteria designed for Toronto’s International Airport apply to the farmer who just wants to fly from his property?

We need to tell Minister Raitt to withdraw the amendment or send it back to CARAC for rewrite.

The government claims to support aviation in Canada. But the proposed amendment would block aerodrome construction or limit its use, and give potential opponents the ability to invoke public consultation and deprive others of the personal use of their private property.

We believe

· Aerodromes with no commercial activity or where there are no employees or income streams should be exempt from the amendment.

· The proposed public consultation should not apply to jurisdictions that already use a consultation process. This will create redundancy and unnecessary costs.

· Definitions of what constitute a development, level of service, public interest or substantial changes to existing operations are lacking and must be clearly defined.

NPA has so many more other flaws and unanswered questions that it is unenforceable.

Unless we speak up, the proposed amendment will have a devastating impact on small and private airstrips.

What can you do?

· Read the NPA and related documents at: http://bit.ly/1EOk4u4.

Start with Page five to see the changes that will affect you the most.

· Note your concerns; you may have others that are not outlined in this petition.

· Formulate your answers and submit them.

WHATEVER YOU DO, send your comments to CARAC (CARRAC@tc.gc.ca) before APRIL 8 OR SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION WITH YOUR COMMENTS.



THIS IS CRITICAL. CARAC will not consider any input after this deadline.

Talk to your MP

This is an election year. Tell your MP why NPA will have a negative impact on his/her constituents and community.

Twitter and Facebook

Use your social networks to help spread the word.

Transport Canada states that stakeholders will have “greater certainty” with this new consultation process. That’s true. There will be greater certainty in opposition towards aerodromes, leading to substantial increases in costs to build them.

This is our only chance to make our voices heard and ask the government to withdraw the NPA or make appropriate changes. Our aviation future depends on.

Article by the Caledon Enterprise: http://bit.ly/1G5tVOg