Here Is Limited Data on Noise in Montreal
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Allali, Matis Kuzviwanza, Sta Willsie, Janoah Yousefi, Aria Zorigtbaatar, Enkhjin Policy Lab Project A Noise Observatory for Montreal Max Bell School of Public Policy McGill University Work presented to the City of Montreal Under the supervision of Dr. Will Straw and Nathalie Duchesnay July 8, 2020 2 Acknowledgements We would like to thank the City of Montreal for providing this policy challenge. We would also like to thank our contacts at the Economic Development department of the City of Montreal for their insightful feedback, valuable guidance and availability during the complete duration of our Policy Lab process. We would also like to thank contributors from the benchmark jurisdictions that we analyzed, whose inputs and perspectives proved to be immensely valuable in this report's production. Finally, we would like to extend our most sincere thanks to our Policy Lab coach, Dr. Will Straw, who supported and guided us throughout this policy project. This document was produced by a Max Bell School student team as part of the course requirements for the Policy Lab, an experiential part of the Master of Public Policy program. The insights and recommendations of this document do not reflect the opinions of McGill University, the Max Bell School, the sponsor organization or the individuals consulted through this process. Materials used for this document were obtained in the public domain through stakeholder interviews, site visits and access to information requests. 3 Table of Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 7 1.0 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 8 2.0 Noise in Montreal ................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Current noise issues in Montreal ........................................................................................ 11 2.2 Current policy and regulatory context ................................................................................ 16 3.0 Impacts of noise ...................................................................................................................... 21 3.1 Public health impacts .......................................................................................................... 21 3.2 Economic impacts ............................................................................................................... 25 3.3 Environmental impacts ....................................................................................................... 26 3.4 Soundscaping ...................................................................................................................... 28 4.0 Structural approaches to managing noise .............................................................................. 31 4.1 Regulatory and enforcement approach .............................................................................. 31 4.1.1 Regulations .................................................................................................................. 31 4.1.2 Enforcement approach ................................................................................................ 32 4.1.3 Noise complaints and gentrification ............................................................................ 33 4.2 Night mayors ....................................................................................................................... 34 4.3 Noise Observatories ............................................................................................................ 37 5.0 Benchmark jurisdictions .......................................................................................................... 41 6.0 A Noise Observatory model for Montreal .............................................................................. 48 6.1 Prerequisites for the Observatory ...................................................................................... 48 6.2 Vision, mission, components and activities for the Observatory ....................................... 49 6.2.1 A vision for the Observatory ........................................................................................ 49 6.2.2 A mission for the Observatory ..................................................................................... 49 6.2.3 Components and activities of the Observatory ........................................................... 52 6.3 Governance structure for observatories ............................................................................ 67 6.4 Limits and challenges of observatories ............................................................................... 78 6.5 Other considerations .......................................................................................................... 81 7.0 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 83 8.0 List of recommendations ........................................................................................................ 85 4 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 89 Annex A: Policy challenge ........................................................................................................... 100 Annex B: Benchmark jurisdictions .............................................................................................. 103 B.1 Auckland Council, New Zealand........................................................................................ 103 B.2 Australia: Australian Acoustic Observatory ...................................................................... 106 B.3 Barcelona City Council, Spain ........................................................................................... 110 B.4 Brussels: Bruxelles Environnement .................................................................................. 115 B.5 Delhi City Council, India .................................................................................................... 119 B.6 Japan: Ministry of Environment........................................................................................ 122 B.7 London, United Kingdom .................................................................................................. 125 B.8 Lyon: Acoucité: Soundscapes and noise observatory of Greater Lyon ............................ 131 B.9 Madrid City Council, Spain ................................................................................................ 135 B.10 New York City: Sounds of New York City ........................................................................ 139 B.11 Paris: Bruitparif ............................................................................................................... 142 Annex C: Additional information on noise measurement .......................................................... 145 Annex D: List of stakeholders for the Observatory to consider ................................................. 147 5 Table of Figures Figure 1 Noise in Montreal ........................................................................................................... 15 Figure 2 Noise complaints distribution in Montreal ..................................................................... 16 Figure 3 Noise management in Montreal ..................................................................................... 20 Figure 4 Noise level scale and human perception ........................................................................ 22 Figure 5 Negative health impacts of noise pollution .................................................................... 24 Figure 6 Known effects of noise .................................................................................................... 30 Figure 7 Benchmark jurisdictions summary ................................................................................. 45 Figure 8 Benchmark jurisdictions key activities ............................................................................ 46 Figure 9 Organizational flow chart of the vision and mission of the Observatory ....................... 51 6 Executive Summary The City of Montreal mandated a team of Master of Public Policy students from the Max Bell School of Public Policy to assess the necessity and feasibility of a noise observatory in Montreal. This report answers to that mandate and highlights important elements to consider in establishing a noise observatory in Montreal. Noise is increasingly an issue of public health, the environment, the economy and quality of life in Canada. In major cities like Montreal, governments are grappling with increased noise pollution and the subsequent health, economic, legislation, and abatement costs, while recognizing that some sounds can be pleasant and should be promoted in the interest of the populations’ wellbeing. Addressing these noise and sound-related issues represent a serious policy challenge that calls for a wide range of policy solutions. In 2017, the Montreal administration officially proposed the creation of an observatory to monitor noise in Montreal. Noise and sound observatories are an emerging response to the recognition that addressing noise requires