Letter to Nanaimo Port Authority regarding seaplane flights over and affecting Gabriola Island

Extracted text (beginning)

Bowen  Denman  Hornby  Gabriola  Galiano  Gambier  Lasqueti  Mayne  North Pender  Salt Spring  Saturna  South Pender  Thetis 
 
 
700 North Road, Gabriola Island, BC  V0R 1X3 
Telephone  250-247-2063    Fax  250-247-7514 
Toll Free via Enquiry BC in Vancouver 604.660.2421  Elsewhere in BC 1.800.663.7867 
Email  northinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca 
Web  www.islandstrust.bc.ca 
 
 
August 24, 2022  File No. GB-6410-03; 0110-20-LTC Chairs;11-5595-30 
 
Via email: ssingh@npa.ca  
 
Capt. Satinder Singh 
VP - Marine Operations & Harbour Master 
Nanaimo Port Authority 
100 Port Drive  
Nanaimo, BC 
V9R 0C7 
 
Dear Captain Singh: 
 
Re: Float Plane Flights over and affecting Gabriola Island 
 
I am writing to you as the Chair of the Gabriola Island Local Trust Committee (“Gabriola Island LTC”), part 
of  the  Islands  Trust  Federation  created  by  the  Islands  Trust  Act  of  BC.    The  Islands  Trust  is  a  unique 
federation of special-purpose governments (local trust committees and an island municipality) mandated 
through the provincial Islands Trust Act to preserve and protect the unique amenities and environment of 
the islands and water between the British Columbia Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island. 
 
At  the  LTC  meeting  of  July  28
th
,  a  motion  was  passed  for  the  Chair  to  correspond  with  the  Harbour 
Authority  regarding  noise  concerns  on  Gabriola  from  aircraft  departing  from  and  leaving  the  Nanaimo 
harbour.  I would anticipate this would generally be Harbour Air flights but might be others from time to 
time. 
 
This is not a new issue as concerns have been raised by Gabriola residents for years. Attached is a letter 
from  November  of  2015  raising  concerns  about  noise,  sent  to  the  Nanaimo  Airport  Commission. With 
increasing flight traffic, there have been increasing numbers of concerns and complaints raised.  Here is 
an extract from a sample complaint we received recently: 
 
On any average day we experience a huge amount of plane noise from a number of sources: 
seaplanes,  passenger  (and  other)  planes  from  the  Nanaimo  airport,  and privately  owned 
planes. There are fluctuations from day to day, but generally speaking there is a disturbing 
amount  of  noise.  Some  days  will  be  nearly  incessant  with  hardly  5 minutes  between  each 
plane.  These  planes  are  not  distant  low  hums,  but  are  often  flying quite  low and  directly 
overhead of us with a very loud engine buzz and whine. The issue is that the noise constantly 
intrudes on the quiet of being outside, either surrounding our home or anywhere in nature on 
the island. 
 

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Bowen  Denman  Hornby  Gabriola  Galiano  Gambier  Lasqueti  Mayne  North Pender  Salt Spring  Saturna  South Pender  Thetis 
I appreciate that the paragraph references Nanaimo airport as well as seaplanes and we will be writing to 
the  Nanaimo  Airport Commission as  well,  but  this  is  a  consistent  issue.    My  understandi

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