St-Hubert airport to uphold ban on night flights: federal court ruling
The Federal Court has dismissed Chrono Aviation's request for an injunction against a ban on night flights at the St-Hubert airport, ruling in favour of Canada's transport minister and DASH-L, according to a 20-page judgment handed down on Friday.
The court found that Chrono Aviation had not presented sufficient evidence to support its allegation of harm: "For nearly two years, Chrono Aviation has constantly repeated that the ban on night flights will force it into bankruptcy. But repeating an assertion does not make it true; nor does having it repeated by others," reads the judgment.
According to Chrono Aviation, Transport Canada's decision to ban night flights would paralyze its operations and jeopardize the Mary River mine, the food security of Inuit communities and the jobs created by their activities in Nunavut and Longueuil.
With regard to Chrono Aviation's assertion that the contract with Baffinland was renewed until Oct. 1, 2025, the court found that, "in all likelihood, the parties to the contract were aware of DASH-L's proposal to prohibit night flights at the time the renewal was concluded."
In these circumstances, the renewal of the contract for a limited period tends to indicate that Baffinland does not intend to terminate it immediately, but rather gives itself a period of a year and a half to assess the effects of a ban on night flights", the court ruled.
On the question of public interest, the court found that "Chrono Aviation has not demonstrated that the inconveniences it would suffer outweigh the public interest in reducing the noise associated with Boeing 737-200 take-offs and landings at night at Saint-Hubert airport."
Longueuil satisfied
Reacting to the ruling rejecting Chrono Aviation's request for an injunction, Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier was pleased that the Federal Court had put the public interest of citizens first.
"In his decision, the judge determined that the decision of the Minister of Transport, which had been requested and supported by the City of Longueuil since my election in November 2021, favoured the public interest of the citizens of Longueuil, and that this interest had to prevail, at this stage, over those of the company," she says.
"As mayor," she adds, "I am delighted with this court decision, which is yet another victory for the people of Longueuil. We now call on Chrono Aviation to comply with the ruling."
Denis Trudel, the MP for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, said he is delighted with Judge Sébastien Grammond's decision: "For the respect of citizens, Chrono must adapt or leave. That's what citizens asked for during my public consultation, so that's my position."
At the time of publication, Le Courrier du Sud had not yet received a reaction from Chrono Aviation.
In February 2023, the City of Longueuil and DASH-L, the airport operator, agreed to ban night flights at Saint-Hubert airport.
- This report by Le Courrier du Sud / The Local Journalism Initiative was first published in French on April 19, 2023
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.