Helicopter-related harassment: South Shore residents win their case

After more than a year of exposure to the noise and roar of helicopters, residents of the eastern sector of Longueuil can finally find peace of mind: new flight routes have been established for helicopters flying over their residential homes.

Consequently, new flight routes have been established from Montreal-St Hubert-Longueuil and Montreal/St-Hubert-Heli-Inter Airport (CTG2) and have been officially in operation since April 15, according to the Mayor of Longueuil.

I am very satisfied with the citizens of the neighborhood in which I live! This is a great collective victory. “All the efforts made — and added to — have finally paid off,” Lysa Bélaïcha, municipal councilor for the Boisé-Du Tremblay district, the main area affected by this noise pollution, said in a press release on Monday.

Remember that since the spring of 2021, the situation has been unbearable for the residents of the eastern sector of the city, who were exposed to the noise and roar of tourist helicopters from the company Hélicraft. The latter flew over their heads several dozen times every day during the summer period. The situation is aggravated on weekends, the frequency sometimes varies only 10-15 minutes between flights, from morning to evening.

“The noise in some streets was so intense that it forced the talks to stop,” Al-Sayed added.^me plesha.

“I would like to thank all the players who participated to help solve this thorny issue. […]. With the connections between Helicraft, NAV Canada, and Transport Canada being complex, this required a good dose of flexibility. Fortunately, we are seeing a positive result in this file, and that is before the summer,” Longueuil Mayor, Catherine Fournier, rejoiced.

The mayor also called on federal authorities to “ensure compliance with Canadian aviation regulations.” [RAC]which regulates, among other things, the minimum altitudes for helicopter flights.