High Court Guarantees Airport Rights

In a sweeping decision, the Supreme Court of Canada has confirmed the federal government is the sole authority over airports, regardless of whether they're backcountry strips or major hubs.
COPA challenged decisions by two Quebec municipal jurisdictions to outlaw private airports and took it all the way to the highest court. The court said the air navigation system in Canada is "non-severable" and rests entirely with the federal government. It essentially said that anyone who wants an airstrip on private property can have one.
“This view reflects the reality that Canada’s airports and aerodromes constitute a network of landing places that together facilitate air transportation and ensure safety," the court said.
The decision was everything the pilot group could have hoped for.
“This is a great day for Canadian Aviation”, said COPA President and CEO Kevin Psutka. “This issue has been debated for decades. The attempts by municipal and provincial governments to restrict aviation activities were becoming unrelenting as the years passed. It was necessary to take this debate back to the highest Court for resolution in order to put to rest the confusion created by previous lower court decisions. I am pleased with the results of this effort and thank the many supporters for their contributions to our Freedom to Fly Fund. Without such contributions, these legal challenges in support of the rights of Canadians to freely establish aerodromes would not have been possible.”
The decisions can be found at http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2010/2010scc39/2010scc39.html and http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2010/2010scc38/2010scc38.html

That is great.

Now what is the best data base airports in Canada. Is there an equivalent to Air Nav.

Tim

Yep, there's a Canuck Flight Supplement that lists all the Reg'd airports/strips, and also a Water Supplement that lists the reg'd float bases. ALL are not there of course, but most. They both list the aerodrome info, fuel, maint, lat/long, freq's, etc.
Expensive:

Nav Canada
Aeronautical Publications
PO Box 9840
Station T
Ottawa, Ontario
K1G 6S8

1-866-731-7827

What I meant to say was on line airport info. I did find this and thought it pretty good. http://www.ourairports.com/search?mode= ... %2C+canada

Tim

Great news for y'all!!

If you're flying in BC, there's a nice little map by the BC Aviation Council that lists (and has a map for) a bunch of backcountry and emergency strips. Last I knew it was still available from BC Aviation Council: www.bcaviation.org or from www.davenportmaps.com. I think it was about $10.

Cheers,
Greg

Thats fantastic! Atlin Fly-in is there to stay lol!

I changed the thread title because when I finally read this topic, it wasn't what I though it was about. I thought it was just "hey, anybody know of some strips?"

Anyway, that is a great ruling. It sure would be nice if Chris from Shortfield.com would also import the Canadian airport database as a springboard for pireps.

Way to go Canada!! First the death of your federal gun registry and now this proper ruling.
Canada is looking up.

I think this is a great day for everyone in aviation. A formal statement from the court of your right to exist as an airfield. Couple that with the Pilot's Bill of Rights in the US and do it in both countries.

Zane wrote:I changed the thread title because when I finally read this topic, it wasn't what I though it was about. I thought it was just "hey, anybody know of some strips?"

Anyway, that is a great ruling. It sure would be nice if Chris from Shortfield.com would also import the Canadian

airport database as a springboard for pireps.

One other thing Zane. The changing the thread title idea sure would be handy for me, when I get off topic I could just change the title so it would be more relevant. How did you do that?

Awesome stuff!

dirtstrip wrote:
One other thing Zane. The changing the thread title idea sure would be handy for me, when I get off topic I could just change the title so it would be more relevant. How did you do that?

On the first post of the thread, you can edit the subject title/thread name by clicking edit and entering the new text in the "subject" field above the main body and forum features).

mountainmatt wrote:Awesome stuff!

dirtstrip wrote:
One other thing Zane. The changing the thread title idea sure would be handy for me, when I get off topic I could just change the title so it would be more relevant. How did you do that?

On the first post of the thread, you can edit the subject title/thread name by clicking edit and entering the new text in the "subject" field above the main body and forum features).

Ya you don't even have to be the original author I think I need to go flying

Giving me (and a few others) that info is like handing over nukes to the Iranians. Could come back to bite.

Anyway this concludes my demonstration in how easy it is to lead anyone off topic.

Oh yes. This is supposed to be about the Canadian Airstrip court decision.

Zane wrote:

qmdv wrote:May even a Fed, and nobody likes them.

Until they ensure protection of your airstrip. Granted, Canada.

I am a bit confused. Is it in Canada that the feds are the only ones that govern the airports. You mean that the province, or county, or city cannot tell you that you cannot have an airport. Do all airports including private ones have to be approved by the feds.

I have a strip at my ranch and it looks as if Super Maule is also bing sucessful in his persuit of the same. In Canada would we have to get the OK from the feds.

Tim

qmdv wrote:

Zane wrote:

qmdv wrote:May even a Fed, and nobody likes them.

Until they ensure protection of your airstrip. Granted, Canada.

I am a bit confused. Is it in Canada that the feds are the only ones that govern the airports. You mean that the province, or county, or city cannot tell you that you cannot have an airport. Do all airports including private ones have to be approved by the feds.

I have a strip at my ranch and it looks as if Super Maule is also bing sucessful in his persuit of the same. In Canada would we have to get the OK from the feds.

Tim

I think it means that once you have a designated airport or airstrip, no provincial or municipal authority can challenge it as it's protected by Transport Canada. I think it also means that if you have private property, you can have an airstrip if you want. I could be wrong in my interpretation too. The COPA guys seem pretty happy with the outcome, as it overturns lower court decisions that may have ruled against airstrip owners in the past.

dirtstrip wrote:One other thing Zane. The changing the thread title idea sure would be handy for me, when I get off topic I could just change the title so it would be more relevant. How did you do that?

Only the original author or a moderator can change the subject of the first post, which is what appears in topic lists. Any reply can have its own subject that will appear in search results, and you can edit that when you reply or edit your own reply.

I rarely edit subjects, only when I think information can be more easily found on an important topic. It's kinda like changing the seat adjustment in another guy's truck.