At a recent meeting, COPA’s Board of Directors reaffirmed the association’s support of the airstrips in the Banff and Jasper National Parks. This was in preparation for the long-anticipated environmental assessments. Regular readers of this newsletter know that Parks Canada is proposing to decommission (plow under) the airstrips in Jasper and Banff national parks. The fields are now closed but are being maintained for emergency use until environmental assessments are undertaken. These are to be done for each facility at the comprehensive study level, as set out in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The assessments were ordered by the Court following an injunction, filed by COPA, to prevent plowing the airstrips under in 1997.
Past COPA Chairman Ken McNeill provided the Board of Directors with the basis for the discussion in the form of a memo to the Board in favour of general access but, as a minimum, ensuring that the strips remain available for emergencies. The Board modified McNeill’s resolution and passed it as follows:
a) COPA confirms and supports in principle their members’ clearly stated belief that these grass strips are a vital part of our national transportation corridor, cause harm to neither the environment nor wildlife, and should therefore continue to be open to public use.
b) COPA’s strong preference is that reasonable access for private, non-commercial aircraft should be permitted, as is the case for other means of private or public transportation.
c) At a minimum, COPA insists that the airstrips must be retained and maintained for precautionary/emergency use with appropriate airport markings and continued listing in the Canada Flight Supplement for precautionary/emergency use only.
d) That contingent funding be approved by the COPA Special Action Fund in the event timely intervention is required to prevent removal of the airstrips for their continued availability for precautionary/emergency use.
COPA has contacted Tom Lee, chief executive officer, Parks Canada, and informed him that COPA has reviewed the final Terms of References for the environmental studies and finds them to be unacceptable because they are narrowly focussed on how to decommission the airstrips rather on whether or not they should remain open.
Return to February Newsletter