www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 8, 2016 | 10 RANGO steps up its wrangling over airplane noise by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff The impact of air traffic noise over residential areas in Oakville could be reduced if Canada's airspace regulators agree to make adjustments to their flight path landing procedures, such as prescribed speeds and altitude for descending planes, says an Oakville citizens group. If Nav Canada makes changes to its Standard Terminal Arrival Route (STAR), Residents' Air Noise Group of Oakville (RANGO) states many communities surrounding Pearson International Airport would be less impacted by planes flying above their homes and it could also save in fuel costs for airlines and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed solutions, that include increasing airplanes' downwind arrival speeds and using direct tracks to reduce kilometres flown, have been presented to Nav Canada and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) in written correspondence and during recent roundtable meetings held last September to discuss noise mitigation. However, with more consultations to take place over the next year, RANGO is making a more considerable effort to have its voice heard. Comprised of nearly 30 members, including retired airline pilots and other business and aviation professionals, Richard Slatter it's lobbying Nav Canada to make changes for the betterment of the communities surrounding Pearson International Airport. RANGO is also looking to have representation on the board of the GTAA as well as on the Community Environment and Noise Advisory Committee (CENAC) comprised of elected officials from across the GTA, including Oakville Ward 5 Councillor Jeff Knoll. CENAC provides a forum in which members of the public can openly discuss and ask questions about noise-related issues at Pearson International Airport. "Our mission statement is very simple, `to reduce the air noise experience by residents of Oakville,'" said RANGO President Richard Slatter, a retired airline captain who has been voicing his concerns about increased air traffic noise over Oakville since Nav Canada made changes to its STAR in 2012. Slatter, who also spent many years as an operations officer at the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, said RANGO intends to work with Toronto Aviation Noise Group (TANG) and other residents' groups in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to get "proper consideration" for suggestions that could resolve some air traffic noise complaints. RANGO has also created a website to outline concerns, solutions and ways in which individuals can take action. It's also looking for other concerned Oakville residents to join the group. For more information, visit www.oakvilleairnoise.com. Auctioning off old OTMH contents People interested in potentially getting a deal on some used furniture are invited to participate in a series of auction events involving surplus property from the soon-to-be decommissioned Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital at 327 Reynolds St. As part of the decommissioning process, a series of online auctions have been established to sell a range of items, from home décor pieces to kitchen appliances, office furniture, exercise machines, and more. While the first lot closes tomorrow (Jan. 8) at 4 p.m., a second lot of auction items will become available for bidding on Jan. 9 to Jan. 15. Residents can begin bidding on a third and final lot from Jan. 22 to Jan. 29. In February, there will also be a weekend sales event at the old hospital site of 327 Reynolds St., where a larger range and number of surplus assets will be showcased and available for purchase. All funds raised through the auctions will be directed to Halton Healthcare for reinvestment. For details on how to preview items for sale, place bids and review payment options visit www.32auctions.com/OTMH. For more information, contact otmh-team@ readinessgroup.net. 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