Petition produced to prevent planes at night

Over 125 residents so far have signed Dorval's petition to stop overnight flights over its boundaries except in case of emergencies from nearby Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, but it appears unlikely nearby West Island municipalities will hop aboard, despite the city's wishes.

"By the time (the planes) get here, they're pretty high," said Beaconsfield mayor Bob Benedetti, adding he was sympathetic to the plight of those wishing to end night flights over residential sectors. The problem is not a strong one in Beaconsfield, he said.

Meanwhile, Pointe Claire Mayor Bill McMurchie said council will probably not join the petition either. "We believe that there are more efficient ways," McMurchie said, of dealing with community issues.

At Dorval's last council meeting, residents voiced their concern over the possibility of increased night flights above their homes, and asked council to announce a resolution asking for a ban on all night flights, similarly to what Lachine enacted earlier. The petition was created by Dorval later as a result.

"We were never able to get the right time of day with Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) regarding night flights," said Dorval city councillor Robert Bourbeau. According to him, though the ADM has since September 2006 claimed there are no more flights between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., that is not the case in reality.

"There are flights scheduled at 6:10 a.m.," said Bourbeau.

When contacted by The Chronicle last week, the ADM claimed city resolutions did not affect its decision-making process. "ADM operates flights according to Transport Canada regulations," said spokesperson Anne Marcotte.

However, Bourbeau seemed unsure if even that was true. "I wonder if they follow Transport Canada regulations," he said.

Meanwhile, whereas Pointe Claire and Beaconsfield said they would stay away from the night flight ban petition, each of the two cities did have its own bone to pick with the airport.

Benedetti said flights taking off of runway 24 close to residences sometimes make a right too early, before they have reached an altitude of 2,000 feet, meaning the south of Beaconsfield is adversely affected by noise.

At Pointe Claire, council passed a different kind of resolution, asking the airport authority to not schedule any more flights over the city than it already has. "We already have more than our fair share of flights," McMurchie said.

That resolution followed on the airport's announcement it was carrying two new test routes over Highway 13 to see which was less likely to bother residents.

The Dorval petition may be signed at town hall, the city's library or either of its community centres.

Chronicle, Raffy Boudjikanian