Canada's transportation minister slams 'unacceptable' baggage chaos at Toronto Pearson
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.
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."
The FBI searched former U.S. president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, people familiar with the matter said Monday.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and senior RCMP officers are defending the national police force's years-long and previously undisclosed use of spyware—capable of remotely accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data—as part of dozens of major investigations.
Saskatoon police say a woman who had been reported missing is facing charges in the United States related to unauthorized use of identification and in Canada related to parental abduction and public mischief.
After ambush-style shootings of three Muslim men and the recent killing of a fourth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Muslim community in the city is on edge and fearful.
Sources close to the government's proposed $5.3 billion dental care program say the Liberals are planning a temporary solution that involves giving money directly to patients in order to keep their promise to the NDP while they work on a more permanent answer.
Condolences from Canadian politicians past and present poured out Monday as they learned about the death of Bill Graham, who served as foreign affairs minister when the country decided against joining the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante has requested an independent investigation into the abrupt cancellation of the Montreal Pride parade Sunday after meeting with festival organizers Monday evening.
Quebec's chief coroner has ordered a public inquiry into the shooting deaths of three people, as well as that of the alleged gunman, following a killing spree last week in the Montreal area.
The FBI searched former U.S. president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, people familiar with the matter said Monday.
Every night between four and five in the morning, Bob Reid wakes up crying. The musician is still traumatized after witnessing a fatal crash in October 2020 on Highbury Avenue, between St. Thomas and London, Ont., which claimed the life of Cindy Devine.
Hockey Canada has turned to the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASCWR) for help in training its athletes and staff to end sexual violence.
Student housing is hard to come by in Waterloo and new spots are constantly being built to address the need, but it appears some new housing might not be ready in time for the start of the school year.
Ottawa's Confederation Line LRT will be closing early on a total of 10 days this month as crews perform maintenance on the tracks, with reduced service planned on parts of the line for two other nights.
OC Transpo is advising customers to prepare for more bus trip cancellations today and this week, as the transit service deals with a staffing shortage caused by summer vacations and sick leave absences.
Some ticket holders say they have already cut their losses after the Ever After Music Festival was cancelled less than a week before it was slated to start.
The deputy mayor of a southern Newfoundland town says his community is running out of food as it remains cut off from the rest of the island due to the worst forest fires the province has seen in more than 60 years.
Defence lawyers in Alberta will not be taking on certain legal aid cases over the next two weeks to push the government to correct what they call “perpetual underfunding” of the system.
Provincial and territorial hockey federations, including Hockey Manitoba, are calling on Hockey Canada to do more to address its handling of sexual assault allegations in London, Ont. in 2018.
A Manitoba woman who abused and killed her daughter in one of the province's most notorious crimes has been granted escorted temporary absences from prison.
Whether it's through misting stations, air-conditioned public spaces or parks with shady trees, there are plenty of ways to keep cool outside, but options are limited for those at home and not everyone is equipped to beat the heat.
A one-stop shop helping welcome newcomers to Edmonton and support those in need is asking the city for a funding bump to continue delivering aid for the next four years.
A photo of luggage piled up at Pearson International Airport over the weekend
