We, the residents of Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge, demand for Waterloo Wellington flight school to immediately STOP flying over Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, our homes, schools and any urbanized areas!

These small aircraft are powered by 100LL AVGAS, a form of LEADED fuel, which poses severe IRREVERSIBLE HEALTH AND ENVIORNMENTAL DAMAGE to the inhabitants and areas which these planes fly over.

Small piston-engine aircraft using leaded aviation gasoline (avgas) are a significant source of airborne lead pollution, creating health risks for communities under flight paths. LEADED AVGAS constitutes roughly 70% of all lead released into the atmosphere, often leading to higher blood-lead levels in children living near airports. 

We the residents of Canada, therefore, urge Transport Canada, Steven MacKinnon the Minister of Transport, Nav Canada, Health Canada, and Environment Canada to enact and enforce regulations PROHIBITING ALL small aircrafts from flying over residential neighbourhoods, schools, and other urbanized areas. Immediate action is required in order to safeguard the health and safety of residents and to protect our environment.

We also urge the aforementioned authorities to draft a plan to the ultimate goal of eliminating Leaded fuel in Aviation in general. The USA has a very detailed action plan for the elimination of leaded fuel and a goal to achieve this by 2030. We would like Canada to do the same!

See below the USA's plan to unleaded Aviation fuel. https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/draft_unleaded_avgas_transition_plan

Some facts about Waterloo Wellington flight school and what they are allowed to do and continue to do:

• They are allowed to operate all year round and fly up to 18 hours per day, from 6am to midnight, seven days a week.
• They have 32 small aircrafts, all fueled with LEADED gas.
• They fly HUNDREDS of times over our homes and schools in ONE DAY! Every time they fly over us, they are spreading lead fumes in the air.
• They are allowed to use airplanes built as long ago as the 1970's. 
• They are allowed to fly pretty much anywhere they want.
• They allow their flight students to fly solo, so without a flight instructor!
• They are allowed to depart and return from the Waterloo airport with MULTIPLE aircrafts at the same time, while flying dangerously close together.
• They also offer scenic flights over the KW area....

Health Canada identifies lead as a cumulative toxic substance with no safe exposure level, particularly dangerous to children and pregnant women (including animals). Lead exposure is toxic to almost ALL bodily systems, causing serious, and IRREVERSIBLE damage, especially to CHILDREN & PREGNANT WOMEN, affecting brain development and leading to PERMANENT learning disabilities and behavioral problems. According to MANY scientific statistics, exposure to lead can have lifelong detrimental impacts on health, including delayed physical and mental development, hearing loss in infants/children, and increase blood pressure or can cause kidney damage in adults. With the rate of small planes flying over our cities INCREASING year over year, our communities face an URGENT health risk.

Health Canada and the whole world are more than aware of the multitude of negative health affects that Lead causes. Leaded fuel is such a well known issue, its unacceptable and quite insane, that we allow these leaded fueled planes to fly over where we live and where our kids go to school! Lead exposure and lead in our environment was such a health issue that we started the removal of Leaded gasoline from our vehicles in 1970 and many other products!

From the World health organization:

Lead exposure is a major, PREVENTABLE public health crisis, resulting in approximately 1.5 million deaths globally per year.

Global Mortality and Health Burden:

• Annual Deaths: Estimates for 2021 attribute over 1.5 million deaths worldwide to lead exposure, primarily from cardiovascular disease.
• Disease Burden (DALYs): Lead exposure accounts for more than 33 million years lost to disability (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) globally.
• Comparative Impact: The global impact of lead exposure is comparable to PM2.5 air pollution and exceeds deaths from HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

The Canadian government and Aviation authorities (Nav Canada and Transport Canada whom are in charge of keeping us safe from anything Aviation related) have categorically FAILED at protecting us from exposure to Lead which these small aircrafts are releasing into the air where we live! 

Due to the fact that these small aircrafts are flying all over the Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge area, anyone living in these areas have been poisoned for years and continues to be poisoned by the aircrafts Leaded fuel, and just for breathing in the air where we live!

Ironically it is very difficult to locate articles published in Canada about Lead that actually speak about aviation fuel polluting our air with lead. The Federal Canadian website at the below link, in fact completely neglected to list AVGAS or aircraft pollution all together as a source of lead pollution in the air, meanwhile the EPA of the USA has indicated that 70% of lead released into the atmosphere is from AVGAS!

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/environmental-contaminants/lead/lead-information-package-some-commonly-asked-questions-about-lead-human-health.html#outdoor

Below are some accredited links on the health effects of Lead exposure:

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health​

https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-determines-lead-emissions-aircraft-engines-cause-or-contribute-air-pollution#:~:text=Aircraft%20that%20operate%20on%20leaded%20aviation%20gasoline%20are%20typically%20small,not%20operate%20on%20leaded%20fuel​

https://www.nvclppp.org/what-is-lead/health-effects/

In addition to the many safety concerns, these planes contribute to noise pollution, which has been linked to increased stress levels, cardiovascular diseases, and impairment in cognitive functions. Schools located in Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge are particularly vulnerable, with noise interruptions affecting their learning environments and the overall safety of students.

Additionally with the majority of plane crashes being these small aircrafts, why are we allowing these planes to fly over our homes and schools? It is unfortunate enough when an airplane's pilot and/or passengers are injured or killed in a crash; it is even more of a tragedy when this also takes the lives and well-beings of innocent bystanders on the ground.

If you google small air plane crashes, you will find an alarming amount of news articles. Also keep in mind that most of these small airplane crashes or incidents are not even reported!

These concerns have already been directly reported to:

Waterloo Wellington Flight School

Waterloo Regional Airport

NAV Canada

Transport Canada, Civil Aviation 

The region of Waterloo

Federal MP'S representing Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge

...However, we were either ignored, lied to or essentially told to take a hike and just deal with it!

LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE A CHANGE THAT WILL IMPROVE OUR HEALTH & SAFETY! 

Please show your support by SIGNING this online petition.

Please use the following link to easily share this petition with others (as this is a Canada wide issue, you can share this to anyone in Canada): https://c.org/HS8S2YtSqY

This Petition will be forwarded to the below parties who can help to enforce the change:

Steven MacKinnon
Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Public Safety

Julie Aviva Dabrusin
Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

Marjorie Michel
Minister of Health

Dorothy McCabe
Mayor of Waterloo, Ontario

Berry Vrbanovic
Mayor of Kitchener, Ontario

Jan Liggett
Mayor of Cambridge, Ontario

Federal MPS for Kitchener

Kelly DeRidder

Tim Louis

Matt Strauss

Federal MP for Waterloo

Bardish Chagger

Federal MP for Cambridge

Connie Cody

 

Attached are a few screenshot examples of the Waterloo Wellington flight School aircrafts flying over our homes, and schools in Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge and surrounding areas.