Vancouver third runway

[Peter Donnelly <skookum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I just had to share this little gem. I particularly like the bit about 
residents failing to take reasonable measures to protect themselves from 
noxious fumes. Perhaps we should all be living in gas-proof bomb shelters. 
And how about the way the third runway has enhanced property values? These 
people are just ingrates!

Peter Donnelly
Right to Quiet Society
http://www.islandnet.com/~skookum/quiet/

==================================

Vancouver Sun, May 10, 1997

Richmond residents who bought homes under the flight path of the new third 
runway should have known what they were doing and can't now sue for 
damages, say documents filed this week in B.C. Supreme Court.

A suit against the Vancover International Airport Authority and the federal 
government was launched a month ago, with residents claiming they were 
entitled to compensation for the noise and nuisance of low-flying aircraft 
using the new runway. They want to initiate a class-action suit against the 
airport and federal government, claiming the government's environmental 
assessment review panel recommended that compensation be paid to the 
neighbourhood but was ignored.

This week the airport authority and the federal government filed a 
statement of defence that claimed there were no grounds for the court to 
allow a class-action suit on the matter. It said the creation of a third 
runway was a matter of public knowledge since 1946. As well, they said the 
operation of the runway was necessary to the economy of greater Vancouver 
and it enhanced property values in the area.

It said the plaintiffs contributed to the loss or damage by:
- Failing to investigate the nature of the community before purchasing 
their property.
- Failing to pay sufficient regard to any notices placed on the title to 
their property.
- Failing to properly insulate their homes.
- Failing to take other reasonable steps to miminize noise, noxious fumes, 
or vibrations.

No date has been set for the matter to proceed to trial.