It wasn't an oversized lizard keeping residents of the Champlain Heights and River District neighbourhoods awake at night during the last two weeks.

Instead a film crew shooting a low-flying helicopter at night for the movie Godzilla had East Fraserlands residents calling the city's 311 line and 911 to complain.

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Champlain Heights resident Denis Laplante wants to know why the City of Vancouver and Transport Canada approved permits to allow the film company to carry out late night, low-level flights in a residential

neighbourhood.

Laplante contacted the Courier after receiving what he thought was an unsatisfactory response from Transport Canada.

"When I complained to Transport Canada they said I'd need to have the aircraft's registration number," he said.

Transport Canada told him that in order for it to investigate he'd need to provide the "aircraft registration, date, time, location, direction of flight and a description of the aircraft in question, as well as an estimate of its altitude." Transport Canada also suggested it could be a police helicopter because police are permitted to carry out low-level manoeuvres, but RCMP media spokesperson Sgt. Peter Thiessen told the Courier it was not their helicopter.

The next time Laplante was awakened by the chopper, at 11:15 and 11:56 p.m. June 21, he headed down to the pier at the south end of Kerr Street and took photographs, one of which he forwarded to the Courier and can be found at vancourier.com. Laplante said the large spotlights trained on the helicopter suggested it was being used for a film shoot.

Communications officer Sau Sau Liu told the Courier Transport Canada issued a low flight authorization with conditions to Ascent Helicopters for filming over the city between June 17 and June 20 from 9 a.m. and 10:59 p.m. depending on suitable weather conditions. The same company was issued another low flight authorization for a similar operation over the City of Richmond for June 21 and June 22 between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday.

"Transport Canada only becomes involved when there is a request for a low flight waiver," Liu told the Courier in an email. "Transport Canada reviews all applications for low flight authorizations to make sure flights are conducted safely for those in the air and on the ground. Local municipalities are aware of helicopter operations prior to the flights occurring. For further information on filming, please contact the municipality."

Karyn Magnusson, director of street use for the City of Vancouver, confirmed many residents called 311 to complain about the noise. Some complaints concerned noise as late as 3 a.m.

Magnusson added city staff immediately contacted the production company, which agreed to notify residents of further disruptions and to keep the noise to approved times. But she noted the city wants to cooperate with film companies due to the employment opportunities they offer. In the case of Godzilla, 2,000 local carpenters were hired to build the massive set, which sits near Boundary Road and East Kent Street.

"The city wants to support the film industry and bring it back to Vancouver," said Magnusson. "It results in 18,000 real local jobs. We just need them to be good neighbours."

sthomas@vancourier.com

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