Letter to Nanaimo Airport Commission regarding 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 22, 2022  File No. GB-6410-03; 0110-20-LTC Chairs; 11-5595-30 
 
Via email: ddevana@nanaimoairport.com 
 
Dave Devana, President and CEO 
Nanaimo Airport Commission  
3238 Mustang Rd,  
Cassidy, BC  
V0R 1H0 
 
Dear Dave Devana: 
 
Re: Flights over and affecting Gabriola Island 
 
I am writing to you as the Chair of the Gabriola Local Trust Committee (“Gabriola 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 Airport Authority 
regarding noise concerns on Gabriola from aircraft departing from and arriving at the Nanaimo Airport. 
 
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.    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. 
 
I appreciate that the paragraph references seaplanes as well as land-based aircraft and we will be writing 
to the Nanaimo Port Authority as well, but this is a consistent issue.  I remind you that the Gulf Islands are 
designated as Noise Sensitive areas and that Gabriola is noted as an Extreme Noise Sensitive area in the 

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Bowen  Denman  Hornby  Gabriola  Galiano  Gambier  Lasqueti  Mayne  North Pender  Salt Spring  Saturna  South Pender  Thetis 
map attached to the November 2015 letter.  The protocol appears to require that all aircraft main

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