AIRPORT ZONING REGULATIONS
- Airport zoning regulations protect the current and future accessibility and usability of an airport.
- Airport zoning regulations are the only legal means to prevent land in the vicinity of an airport from being used in a manner that is incompatible with the safe operation of an airport.
- Airport zoning regulations restrict the heights of buildings and natural growth, land uses that attract wildlife, such as waste disposal facilities and open storm water management ponds, and electronic signals that interfere with communications with aircraft.
- TC received correspondence from key stakeholders to the effect that the current regime could be strengthened. TC is reviewing the matter in collaboration with stakeholders.
SUPPLEMENTARY MESSAGES
- Airport zoning regulations are site specific and are amended at the request of the airport.
- Airports are responsible to monitor the area for possible violations and Transport Canada is responsible to enforce the regulation.
SUPPORTING FACTS AND FIGURES
- Approximately half of certified airports in Canada have zoning protection.
- The usual area protected is a 4 km radius around the airport, with protection extending to a maximum of 15 km on each runway’s approach and departure paths.
- Restrictive clauses in the regulations differ depending on when the regulation was enacted.
- Airport zoning regulations and zoning plans are deposited in the local land titles office and appended to the land titles of all affected property.
- Montreal Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport Zoning Regulations were enacted in 2017.
- Current Montreal zoning regulations protect for building and natural growth heights, electronic interference with communications and wildlife hazards.
- Toronto/Lester B Pearson International Airport Zoning Regulations were enacted in 1999.
- Current Toronto regulations protect for building and natural growth heights, and waste disposal facilities.
- Vancouver International Airport Zoning Regulations were enacted in 1980.
- Current Vancouver regulations protect for building and natural growth heights, and waste disposal facilities.
- At the request of Vancouver Airport, the department is currently going through the regulatory process to amend and update the regulations.
- The proposed amendment will add protection for electronic interference with communication, expand protection against wildlife hazards and protect for a potential additional runway in the future.
BACKGROUND
Airport zoning regulations protect the current and future usability and accessibility of an airport by restricting the heights of buildings and trees/natural growth in the vicinity of an airport. This helps to ensure the safe operations at an airport by keeping the approach and departure paths clear of obstacles. An airport may need to change its operations, limiting the size and weight of aircraft that can land if an object penetrates the areas required to be maintained free of obstacles by the applicable standards.
Restricting land uses that attract wildlife that poses a hazard to aviation, particularly birds, such as waste disposal facilities which are a source of food, and open storm water management ponds, which are an attractant to birds, help the airport meet the requirement to manage wildlife limiting the opportunity for dangerous bird strikes.
Electronic signals that interfere with communications such as instrument landing systems or verbal communications are a safety risk in critical phases of flight such as landing, particularly in poor weather.
Airport operators can only control the land that they own. Zoning regulations permit lands outside the airport boundaries to be restricted in a way that promotes the safe operation of an airport.
Airports initiate the process for amending an airport zoning regulation based on their airport master plan. They are also responsible to monitor the lands subject to the zoning regulation to identify possible violations and report concerns to Transport Canada. Transport Canada is then responsible to enforce compliance with the regulation.
As part of the regulatory process to amend a regulation, consultation is conducted with municipalities, the land use authorities, impacted by the restrictions and any stakeholder, including landowners, in the area covered by the zoning regulation.