Comments have now closed for the Notice of Proposed Amendment to the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARS) that will require anyone building or changing an aerodrome to consult with a wide range of local and government “stakeholders” before construction can begin.
Although it was thought the NPA was stranded in the bureaucracy pending the October election, the ministry of transport put it in the Canada Gazette Part 1 on July 11 and gave interested parties 30 days to make their feelings known.
In late July, COPA said at least 750 comments had been filed. The next step is for the amendment to be published in the Canada Gazette Part 2 and become part of the regs sometime in 2016.
The changes would mean that someone wanting to build a new private airport or a new building at an existing facility would have to give notice to a laundry list of local, regional, provincial and federal jurisdictions, along with neighbouring landowners. Presumably any of those entities could register opposition to the project and the proponent has to compile all those comments and send them off to the Minister of Transport, who will decide whether the project can go ahead or whether “more information” is required.
COPA says the new rules have the potential to mire even minor projects in red tape but the ministry doesn’t think so. It says in the preamble to the amendment that it expects to see only a few applications every year.