The following is the letter I sent Councillors Ben Henderson and Jane Batty:
Dear Councillors,
I am writing to you as a citizen who wishes to see the Edmonton City Centre Airport closed. While this historical facility has served our city well in the past, we should not allow the privilege of a small minority to limit our larger future potential.
My main concern is that while the ECCA uses of such a large piece of real estate in the centre of our city, potential smart development will be hindered in the downtown core (due to building height restrictions) and in the core itself (due to the large amount of space currently used by the ECCA). As a Ward 4 resident, I am also concerned with the amount of noise pollution that is caused by the many arriving and departing planes and jets that occur each day.
The land which the ECCA now sits on has incredible potential for increased smart urban development, including the three smart growth strategies that Peter Newman spoke about when he was in Edmonton for last month’s ICLEI World Congress: Pedestrian Oriented Developments, Transit Oriented Developments, and Green Oriented Developments.
There is no reason why Edmontonians should settle for less than the best for our future.
The closure of the City Centre Airport will bring us a step closer to realizing a better Edmonton.
Sincerely,
David Cournoyer
Citizen, Ward 4
Edmonton City Council will be voting on the issue on July 8 or 10, so please email your City Councillor at Councillors@edmonton.ca. For more information, visit notmyairport.ca.
