Stouffvilles Future? (Ask mayorandcouncil@townofws.ca and MP Paul.Calandra@parl.gc.

ca for a regular public discussion)

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Source: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/ontario/air-azr-pickering-maps-menu-1513.htm (map modified Feb. 24, 2012) Plan: 2032 (?), 11.9 million passengers (Transport Canada, Pickering Airport Draft Plan Report, November 2004, 6:64; see item 6.3); See also Transport Canada, News Release: "Transport Canada releases findings of the 2010 Pickering Lands Needs Assessment Study," July 11, 2011.

Feb. 7, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council (cc: MP Paul Calandra) I imagine that a number of you have read the Pickering Lands Needs Assessment Study which Transport Canada released in 2011 after the Federal election. As you know, the 2004 Draft Plan and layout were not renounced (since 2011, the Airport Site Layout with runways has been modified once; Feb 24, 2012 version). At issue in the Needs Assessment Study is only timing and pace of development--which hinges in large part on the build-out of Hamilton and Kitchener/Breslau airports. It is not surprising that the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (authors of the studies) do not assume other scenarios -- like investment in a high-speed rail corridor from Windsor to Quebec City -- linking the GTA via rail into the US via Windsor, Buffalo and Quebec. A few years ago, the premiers of Ontario and Quebec supported such a plan (linking to US President Obama's push for high-speed rail). Mayors in Ontario may be able to keep that agenda afloat in the next years (or else a large airport in Pickering will surely be the only option). Stouffville's future would look like this (click map). Mayoral candidates for 2014 should be very aware of the scenarios (this will affect our town like nothing before), and also have strategies that they will aggressively pursue (either to embrace or to challenge or ??). The Town is now talking concretely about 2031 (growth management); nothing has been said about the impact of the airport plans -- even in relation to employment / industry. Why not call a public meeting with MP Paul Calandra to talk about our town's planning options, in light of Transport Canada's latest thinking around the Pickering Airport. Sincerely, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast ---------Background Letter to Editor, Stouffville Free Press, 2011 Dear Editor, This past week the Federal Minister of Transport released the long-awaited Needs Assessment Study for a future Pickering Airport. The study concludes that another major airport will be needed in southern Ontario by 2027, and that the Pickering lands are the preferred site. The Pickering airport is now one step closer to becoming a reality. The impact of the current plan on Whitchurch-Stouffville will be significant. The Transport Canada map locates the approaches for two of the three planned landing strips directly above WhitchurchStouffville communities: the first over Ballantrae, Musselman Lake and the north-east corner of urban Stouffville, with planes descending (or ascending) from 535 to 365 metres; the second over Gormley and the

Dickson Hill area (immediately behind the Wal-Mart and Smart Centre). Urban Stouffville will be effectively "sandwiched" by these two approaches. The new residential developments in south-east Stouffville will be as close to the actual runway as to the new town hall! The 2004 draft plan anticipates some 11.9 million passengers per year (or 32,600 per day) by 2032; that will make for a lot of planes in the neighbourhood! Even the economic spin-offs for our town, when compared to others, may be minimal: access roads to the airport are planned from the south only (Hwy. 407 and Hwy. 7), and the York-Durham Line will no longer exist south of Stouffville. During the federal election campaign, MP Paul Calandra told Stouffvilleconnects.com : I dont want to see anything that would jeopardize our community ... Im not in favour of a large-scale airport like Pearson. However, Transport Canada's acceptance of the Needs Assessment Study is hardly good news for our community. We will need to work creatively and collectively to think and advocate for alternatives. For example, while the Study assumed some future expansion of the Hamilton and Waterloo airports, it did not consider the option of high-speed rail for the Quebec-City-Windsor corridor. Such an option would connect GTA residents to other airports with capacity, and also link us into the current US administration plans for a North American high-speed rail network. The Mayor and Town Council can also play an important advocacy role for the Town and its communities. There is a now a new urgency for all of us to respond, even if the decision to build is still a number of years in the future. -Arnold Neufeldt-Fast ------------Letter to Editor, Stouffville Sun-Tribune, 2010 Re: Council has bigger things than whistle to work on, letter to the editor by P. Kovach, Sept. 3; and re: Train whistle wastes energy, awakens people unnecessarily, letter to the editor by Paul J. Youngman, Aug. 19. Indeed, council may soon have much bigger matters (and noises) to worry about than the train whistle. A long-awaited needs analysis study by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority for a proposed international airport on the Pickering lands (which includes a small part of Stouffville) was submitted to the federal Minister of Transport in the Spring. A decision is imminent. Stouffville is the closest urban centre to the proposed airport and would be most directly impacted by noise levels and quality of life. According to the Pickering Airport Draft Plan of November 2004, the approaches for two of the three landing strips would be directly above WhitchurchStouffville communities: the first over Ballantrae, Musselmans Lake and the north-east corner of urban Stouffville, with planes descending (or ascending) from 535 to 365 metres; the second over Gormley and the Walmart/Dickson Hill area. The new homes planned for the south-east corner of Stouffville are the same distance from the proposed runways as they are from town hall on Main St. and Ringwood Dr. The plan anticipates 11.9 million passengers per year (or 32,600 per day) by 2032, or about 400 flights per day. Though this is a federal issue, vigorous local leadership is required to advocate for options that are good for our community. When public consultations on the Pickering Airport were held in 2003, Whitchurch Stouffville was one of the few directly affected municipalities that did not submit written representation to Transport Canada. The new council will require a creative and well-prepared strategy. And there are options: e.g, the Member of Parliament representing Niagara West-Glanbrook has long argued for an

expansion of the Hamilton International Airport in his riding; the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec have pushed for high-speed rail along the Windsor / Quebec City corridor, with a link to Ottawa. The roar of plane engines might just take care of Stouffville's train whistle problem. Let's ask our candidates what alternatives they will be fighting for. -Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, Stouffville

-----------------------August 15, 2010 Dear Mr. Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities My understanding is that the long awaited needs assessment report by the GTAA for the Pickering International Airport proposal is now complete and on your desk awaiting a decision. No community wants a major airport in their own backyard. In this case, my community of Whitchurch-Stouffville will be impacted significantly by a decision to move forward with an airport on the Pickering lands: two of the three planned flight approaches are directly over the hamlets of Ballantrae and Musselman Lake, on the one side, and Gormley and Dickson Hill, on the other. Urban Stouffville will be "sandwiched" by both; the 2004 draft report estimated that by 2032 some 11.9 million passengers would use the airport annually (= 350 to 400 planes per day). That would negatively impact the quality of life in our rapidly growing residential community (50% population growth since 2006). As you can well imagine, this would become the most important election issue for our town in decades. I know that the Member representing Niagara West-Glanbrook has long been a proponent for expanding the Hamilton International Airport (see Hansard, Friday, Dec 10, 2004). For Hamilton, this would be a good move. Waterloo Region's airport is also easily accessible too. On the other side, the newly appointed CPC candidate for Pickering-Scarborough East has fought the idea of a Pickering airport for years. For a variety of reasons, it would not be good for our communities. I realize also that airports are necessary, and the land and the infrastructure are more or less "ready to go." Moreover, I am sure that the GTAA has rightly identified future need. However I am less confident that they will outline the broader variety of options to meet that need. I would humbly suggest a more progressive and sustainable project might include high-speed rail along the Windsor / Quebec City corridor, with a link to Ottawa. This would get Ontario (including those living on the eastern edge of the GTA) moving in so many ways. If linked directly with airports, it could easily move travelers to a variety of airports running at under-capacity. (I lived in Europe many years, and know how convenient it was to have access to more than one airport linked well with public transportation; e.g., I could easily choose the best flight from either Zurich, Frankfurt or Munich; far less helpful were two or more airports in one city, e.g., in London.) High-speed rail would generate significant economic and social benefits to Ontario and Quebec, as other studies have shown. I think that this would be a great investment--and be an environmentally friendly move as well. There are other options for getting people moving than a new international airport; I fear that the GTAA's self-interest will bias their report towards an airport in Pickering.

Thank you for considering my opinion, and also for your dedication for serving the people of Canada in your new capacity as Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Sincerely, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast 672 Millard Street, Stouffville, ON. L4A 0B2