Canada's transportation minister slams 'unacceptable' baggage chaos at Toronto Pearson
Canada's transport minister is speaking out about the "unacceptable issues" that continue to result in significant delays at Canadian airports after images surfaced on social media showing hundreds of pieces of luggage piled up at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Toronto Pearson, told CP24 on Tuesday that a number of issues over the past several days have led to "challenges with baggage," including "flight delays and cancellations, staff shortages and temporary mechanical disruptions with the baggage system."
So far, dozens of people have spoken out about losing their luggage at Pearson, including one woman who said that her bag was lost once on the way to Phoenix and then again on the way back to Toronto, resulting in a frustrating "suitcase scavenger hunt" that ultimately proved fruitless.
There have also been numerous images shared on social media showing huge piles of luggage in the baggage claim area at Pearson, which travellers have had to search through in the hopes of finding their missing bags.
"What we are seeing today is that while many of those Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and Canadian Border Security Agency issues have significantly improved we continue to see delays, cancellations and luggage issues," Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told reporters at an unrelated announcement on Wednesday.
"I have had conversations with the four largest airports and the two largest airlines just on Thursday and I will be having follow up conversations with them soon. They know that they need to add more resources and they are working on that and we are offering our support to address these issues. But these are unacceptable issues."
Toronto Pearson has been plagued by delays for months now amid increased demand and some staffing shortages.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Alghabra said at this point the federal government has done everything in its control to address the issues at airports, including increasing staffing at customs and at security checkpoints.
He said that his government is also looking at "possibly extending the suspension" of random COVID-19 testing, which was supposed to be lifted on July 1.
That, he said, is because it is taking longer than expected to address the logistics of moving the testing off-site.
"What we are seeing is the surge of demand for air travel beyond what anybody expected and that is honestly good news. But the surge in demand is outpacing the ability for airlines and airports to enhance the resources that they need to accommodate that surge," he said. "So we are working with airlines and airports to ensure that the resources needed, that the scheduling adjustments that are needed are addressed. Because we are also seeing extreme peaks at certain hours of the day."
TORONTO MAYOR TO SPEAK WITH AIR CANADA
Many of the luggage issues at Toronto Pearson have reportedly involved Air Canada flights.
In a statement provided to CP24 on Tuesday, Air Canada said "that avoiding baggage delays is a top priority" as they are "disruptive and inconvenient" for customers and lead to added costs that the airline ultimately has to bear.
A photo of luggage piled up at Pearson International Airport over the weekend
But they said that with the "well-documented issues" plaguing airports and resulting in last-minute flight cancellations there are simply more instances of delayed bags.
"I think the overall record is better today at the airport than it was a few weeks ago and I think there is every reason to believe that progress will continue," Toronto Mayor John Tory told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.
"I am not personally familiar with the precise way baggage is handled but certainly from my limited knowledge it occurs to me that most of the responsibility rests with the airlines, so I will, undertake in light of what has happened to be in touch with Air Canada and find out from their perspective what the problem is, what they are doing to solve their part of it and if they believe that governments in the broadest sense can be helpful in making things work better so those baggage issues don’t arise."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.