Expansion of Waterloo Regional Airport: NOT NEEDED

Hello,

I feel I need to comment regarding the proposed expansion / additional runway of the Waterloo Regional Airport (Breslau). It is very difficult to understand why such a proposal has even been entertained.

We now live in a time where air travel is not really needed in most cases.

For business we have learned due to COVID19 that platforms such as MS Teams, ZOOM, Webex etc work very well facilitating virtual face to face discussions around the world almost instantly. There is almost no need to people to travel abroad for business anymore. I know this directly, I work for a Swiss company to which I used to travel regularly, however I don’t need to anymore due to these virtual meeting SW platforms. The cost savings to businesses operating in this way is tremendous!!! 

To consider expanding more air service in a time which we know poses extreme risk of virus transmission is completely irresponsible. COVID19 is the beginning of what the future holds for humans.

Additionally, having more air service only encourages and increases greenhouse gas emissions, we live in a time where we need to reduce pollution not add or encourage more it.

To suggest that residents would need to support any expansion with our taxes dollars is of course criminal. All cost associated with operating the Waterloo Regional Airport (including any expansion) needs to be funded by the airport itself and the affluent individuals who plan to use it for their own benefit and who are pushing for this expansion.

It is completely transparent that it is affluent individuals who are most inclined to use this decadent luxury; they need to be responsible themselves for any costs associated with operating and expanding the air service

I would go so far as to say expanding the Waterloo Regional Airport with the proposed expansion / additional runway is irresponsible as well as unethical.

Please consider and think deeply before committing this ridiculous act of expanding the Waterloo Regional Airport.