Alarmed by McGill study, citizens group wants to fight air pollution at Trudeau Airport, along with noise

A group of Montreal homeowners who live along the flight paths of Trudeau International Airport isseeking leave to launch a second class-action suit to fight air pollution caused by airline traffic.

The same citizens' group, Les Pollus de Montral-Trudeau, already has a lawsuit before the courts, alleging noise caused by airplanes flying over their homes is ruining their quality of life.

A recent McGill University study found a high number of airborne particles floating around the airport grounds including nanoparticles of heavy metals that are harmful to human health.

"This is another major concern of our members, and it has been since our foundation," said Pierre Lachapelle, the group's president.

In an update on the group's first lawsuit, approved last April, Lachapelle said they are seeking a series of declaratory judgments on curfew times and public consultations on a planned airport expansion, which will include 15 new gates.

"The citizens are telling us they want to be able to sleep at nightand benefit from the daily rest that's essential to their health," said Lachapelle in a statement.

Right now, planes are not allowed to land at Trudeau airport between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.and take off is prohibited between midnight and 7 a.m.

According to the Pollus, exemptions to this curfew are only supposed to be made for medical emergencies, delays beyond the carrier's control and during bad weather conditions.

"The practice seems much more expansive," the group's statement reads.

The Pollus also want to ensure there arepublic consultations forresidents affected by the proposed $2.5 billion expansionand the increased air traffic that could accompany it.

The lawsuit targets the airport authority, Aroports de Montral, as well as the federal Ministry of Transport and Nav Canada, the corporation that runs Canada's civil air navigation service.

When the lawsuit was granted, Grard Samet, the lawyer representing the group, said he considered the green light a big victory a first in Quebec for an airport the size of Montreal's.

"This judgment is an extremely new development. Before aeronautical activities were strictly overseen by the federal government," said "Now, they can no longer be ignored by [civil] law."