Dear editor,
There have been numerous letters to the editor concerning the huge inconvenience experienced by Comox Valley Airport passengers due to flight delays and cancellations caused by some tall trees on Kye Bay Road.
In the Record on March 11, Ms. Panchyson stated that there was a lack of facts dealing with this issue.
I conducted research on this issue and found the following facts:
The first is that all landowners except three have agreed to the tree-topping as it is a safety concern.
One reason for denying the topping of trees on one of the three properties was that the largest heron rookery on Vancouver Island existed on his/her property (according to a Nov. 10, 2011 letter to the Record).
I did research on this matter and found that the rookery does not exist. The birds have left.
Another fact is that government and airport officials have stated that nothing can be done to expedite the topping of the trees because there is legal action by the landowners in question.
I contacted the federal court registry in Vancouver and was told that two legal actions on the matter have been discontinued and there are no current actions on record.
To say the least I am amazed that the appropriate government bodies cannot resolve this problem after several years of work. This worries me.
It does not really matter whether one or 200 flights are cancelled by the tree height issue, it should be resolved.
If you use the Comox Valley airport I recommend that you contact the government and airport officials to express your concerns, because you may be the next passenger missing a flight due to some tall trees.
T. Walsh,
Comox