ANMC Minutes - September 2024

Meeting Date/Time: 26 September 2024, 1300H-1500H
Meeting Location: Online (Microsoft Teams)
In Attendance
Chair:	Wendy Avis	Director, Climate and Environment - YVRAA
Secretariat:	Rachel Min-Brown	Environmental Analyst - YVRAA
Participants:	Alex Konowalchuk Graeme Bant Arvind Sharma Howard Jampolsky Kevin Eng Ron Sorensen Erin Newman-Renwick Dave Schneider Mark Cheng	Citizen Representative - City of Delta Staff Representative - City of Delta Citizen Representative - City of Richmond Citizen Representative - City of Richmond Staff Representative - City of Richmond Citizen Representative - City of Surrey Citizen Representative - City of Vancouver Manager, Regulatory Compliance - YVRAA Supervisor, Noise Abatement & Air Quality - YVRAA

1.0 Welcome and Adoption of Agenda

Wendy Avis welcomed the attendees and acknowledged the unceded, ancestral, traditional territory of the Musqueam Nation on which YVR operates. The following changes in membership were noted:

Graeme Bant – new staff representative for the City of Delta
Jacqueline Hunter – new staff representative for the City of Vancouver

2.0 Airport Updates

Wendy provided the following general YVR updates to the Committee:

YVR won the Skytrax award for the Best Airport in North America in 2024.
There have been recent changes in the YVR Executive Team:
- Diana Vuong, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO), has left the Airport Authority.
- Bill Bakk, VP Business Development, has stepped into the role of interim CFO.
- Albert Piet van Veet joined the Airport Authority as the new VP Innovation & Chief Information Officer.
- Gerri Sinclair has moved into the new role as the Chief Prioritization, Planning, and Performance Optimization Officer.
YVR is participating in an international innovation initiative through Airports for Innovation (A4I), a network of global airports working together to promote innovation and startups and redefine and improve the passenger experience with a more sustainable and innovative approach. There is currently an open call to startups from anywhere in the world to attract new innovative solutions to enhance travel experience, operational efficiency, and sustainability.
YVR has formed an Energy Advisory Council, a group of six experts who will provide advice and guidance on actions needed to build future energy solutions concerning aviation and infrastructure development on Sea Island as YVR is working to become net zero carbon by 2030 as well as taking steps to enable the overall aviation sector to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.

3.0 North Runway Project Update

Mark provided an update on plans for the upcoming large-scale work to extensively rehabilitate the north runway.

Built in the early 1990s, the north runway now requires extensive upgrades to ensure its longevity and resilience to better serve our community for years to come. At the Q1 ANMC meeting, the YVR project team presented on several work options being considered to complete the necessary work while balancing operational impacts, duration, and complexity. Some of these options included closing the north runway during periods of the daytime.

Following extensive analysis, review and consultations with affected stakeholders, it was determined that the work will take place within the existing standard north runway nightly closure period, between 10 PM and 7 AM. We anticipate no change to aircraft noise exposure and noise or light impacts from work activities.

The project will include upgrades to the runway surface as well as drainage, electrical and lighting improvements. Early work is anticipated to begin this fall with the main work on the runway to occur between April and October 2025. Information on the project will be shared with the broader community in October. Further updates on the work will be provided to the ANMC at a future meeting.

4.0 Noise Management Plan

Mark and Rachel Min-Brown provided updates on work to create the 2025-2029 YVR Noise Management Plan (NMP).

To engage with the broader community in creating the new NMP, a community web questionnaire was hosted between 27 April and 14 July. The objective of the questionnaire was to solicit input on potential noise management initiatives as well as identify ways to better communicate, share information, and educate residents on noise management activities. The questionnaire was promoted through YVR social media channels, and a total of 430 responses were received. A high-level summary of survey results was provided to the ANMC.

Based on input received from multiple stakeholders and partners, including the ANMC, Musqueam, and the broader community, 12 areas of focus and supporting initiatives were identified and are proposed to be included in the new NMP.

The proposed 12 areas of focus and supporting initiatives were shared with members of the ANMC prior to the meeting. This material was reviewed with the ANMC, and no comments were received. ANMC members discussed the importance of setting realistic expectations for the community about what actions can and cannot be undertaken to manage noise. Committee members were asked to provide any last-minute comments by October 1.

As next steps, the draft NMP and associated initiatives will be presented to YVR Executives in November for final approval. Once approved, we will finalize the content and work with the YVR Communications Team to create a public facing document, which will be submitted to Transport Canada for their review by the end of the year.

5.0 Q3 Summary

Rachel presented the summary of noise concerns received in January-August 2024. A total of 791 concerns were registered by 153 individuals during this period.

6.0 Other Business

Vancouver Airspace Modernization Project (VAMP) - Mark provided an update on VAMP on behalf of NAV CANADA. Work is still ongoing to review proposed designs and procedures. Once the review is completed, a public facing consultation report will be published, which will include information on the final airspace designs, timelines, and next steps leading to implementation.

MEETING ADJOURNMENT

Wendy thanked the attendees for their time and adjourned the meeting at 1405H.

Next Regular ANMC Meeting: December 5, 2024