Mississauga Approves More Warnings About Airplane Noises

If you ever venture around the north part of Mississauga, you should know that at certain times of the day, there may be a lot of noise coming from the skies as departing and arriving aircrafts takeoff or land at Pearson International Airport. There have been reports that people as far as Meadowvale have heard the noise coming from the busiest airport in Canada.

Those particular communities in Mississauga (Meadowvale, Malton, the corporate area surrounding Pearson and even the area between Mavis Road and the Credit River) have always been susceptible to “noise pollution,” being that close to the airport. So much so that in Mississauga’s Official Plan there are actual policies governing the level of airport noise that should be allowed within the operating radius of the airport.

Recently, Mississauga City Council received and approved a staff report providing recommended amendments to the city’s Airplane Noise Policies in Mississauga’s Official Plan (MOP). They were originally outlined in a June 6, 2016 report to the Planning and Development Committee (PDC), with the intention to update, simplify and clarify the policies on the books, including:

• A noise warning clause requirement.

• Adding a portion of land in the Malton Community Node and Neighbourhood Character Areas within the Airport Operating Area to the defined Exception Area.

• Providing conditions for allowing residential infill and redevelopment opportunities within the Exception Area.

As cited in this report, the “Exception Area” includes portions of Meadowvale Village, East Credit and Malton, specifically a portion of the Malton Community Node Character Area, The report indicated that this is an important step to implementing Mississauga’s MyMalton Vision.

Several considerations after consultations with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) in terms of not interfering with the operations of Pearson International were also in the report:

• Assurances that new buildings are designed and constructed with appropriate aircraft noise mitigation, and confirmation that new buildings are built in accordance with the mitigation measures prescribed by technical noise studies certified by a licensed professional engineer with acoustical expertise.

• The establishment of Aircraft Noise Warning Agreements between the GTAA, the City of Mississauga and the developer be required, registered on title, and that such agreements include, but not be limited to the requirement for:

• A posted aircraft noise warning notice advising of noise in a development, including outdoor living areas and outdoor recreation areas, located above the 30 noise exposure projection/noise exposure forecast (NEP/NEF) composite noise contour.

• Noise warning notices to be included in the promotional material for the development, purchase and sale documents.

• Noise warning notices to be included in enrollment documents for schools and daycares for parents looking to move into the area.

• That post-construction certification be undertaken by a licensed professional engineer with acoustical expertise to the satisfaction of the City of Mississauga, that the mitigation measures and features satisfy the applicable Provincial Government environmental noise guideline.

These amendments to the MOP will require an amendment to the Region of Peel’s official plan, and the application fee to do so is $20,000. However, city staff have requested that the Region of Peel waive that fee.

The report concludes by saying that the proposed amendments will allow for infill and redevelopment opportunities in the Exception Areas. Development of sensitive land uses including new residential dwellings will be subject to meeting sound level limits as set out by provincial guidelines, the provision of appropriate noise mitigation measures, and having executed noise warning and development agreements. The proposed amendments therefore should be approved.

There is little you can do to mitigate airplane noises aside from not running planes at the dead of night, but if they are going to allow new developments in the surrounding neighbourhoods, it’s most likely a good idea to provide adequate and proper education and promotional materials regarding noise warnings for those looking to move in. I particularly like the clause about providing such enrollment materials at schools and daycares for young families.

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