At a city council meeting last week when Warren was giving her delegation Sheldon approached Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster to ask why she had not visited her property to actually see what has been done as she had promised. Lancaster had apparently said she would visit but never did arrive. And she isn’t going to drive up that long lane way leading to Sheldon’s home after the “altercation” between the two last week when Lancaster suggested the two women just give each other a hug. “I don’t want your hug” responded Sheldon, “I want your respect.” Pretty blunt this Sheldon lady.
There doesn’t seem to be much the city can do other than look to federal government agencies or departments to step in. The federal department of transport doesn’t appear to be all that happy with what is happening in north Burlington but that Air Park is one of about 10,000 across the country and they don’t get a lot of attention, and usually they aren’t a problem.
This one is a problem for residents of north Burlington and the city has finally been moved to do something. North Burlington does know how to rally around an issue. The quarry expansion was stopped; the provincial government has the Niagara GTA corridor that was going to be bull dozed right through Lowville is off the radar screen – the air park is just another fight to protect the rural part of the city.
At the Council meeting last week Councillor Lancaster came forward with a Staff Direction:
Direct the General Manager of Development & Infrastructure to contract an aviation consultant to report on:
The standards, processes and requirements of Transport Canada and other Federal departments for the development and expansion of aeronautical facilities; and
The identification of any opportunities for individual, municipal or provincial involvement and input in said Federal processes, and
Expedite the presentation of recommendations to address the immediate issues of land fill, noise and expansion at the Burlington Airpark.
It doesn’t look like much and at this point it isn’t very much. The city needs to get up to speed on just what it is they are up against. It doesn’t appear to be pretty. There appears to be a company that has found a loophole and is dumping literally tons of landfill on property they own – at a reported fee of $40 to $50 a truck load, which some have calculated as bringing in $2.5 million annually to the air park property owner.
Burlington General Manager of Development and Infrastructure, Scott Stewart, now has this file. If anyone can make something out of it – he will along with Blake Hurley, who is with the city’s legal department
There does not appear to be much in the way of communication between the residents and the Air Park owner who appears to intimidate the residents with threats of law suits. One communication from a resident we have been asked not to name sent us the following:
Sheldon’s property backs onto the Air Park and has air park property on either side of her property. “I didn’t mind the air planes flying around but I didn’t want to be hemmed in the way I am by airport runways”, said Sheldon
“I don`t have the financial resources to contest a frivolous slander or libel lawsuit that is potentially brought against me. I should have told you that it was a heads up and not for attribution. Thank you for dealing with it.” We took the name of the commentator off a piece we had written. Citizens should not have to live in fear like this.
The Airpark land is NOT under Federal regulation – only the aeronautics part is, which applies to the safe operation of aircraft.
Even if the dumping was legal, nobody or any business has the moral right to infringe on the rights of surrounding citizens.
The damage already existing on the Airpark site must eventually be reversed & corrected, otherwise our City will turn into a free for all, with anyone doing whatever they please.
North Burlington is a dump site of massive proportions – not a nice reputation to have?
Editors note:
Note that Mr Dennis is referring to the land, that is the ground the aircraft travel along. He maintains that is not under the jurisdiction of the federal department of transport. They, the federal government. have jurisdiction over anything aeronautical that happens on that land. Good point – will the city spend some of its money defending the interests of the residents who are getting the daylights kicked out of them by the person earning money dumping landfill.