Man gets $85 fine for trespassing picking up family at Toronto Pearson

When an Ontario man got a notice in the mail for trespassing after picking up a relative at Pearson International Airport, he wasn’t sure if the $85 fine was real or not.

“I got this ticket out of the blue. There was nobody there when I stopped,” said Ferdous Islam of Markham.

Toronto Pearson International Airport is a busy spot with about 100,000 vehicles passing through every day. To keep traffic moving, cars are not allowed to pull over on the side of the road as they approach the airport.

Islam said his relative asked to be picked up at the airport but as Islam got closer to Pearson there was a delay so he pulled over on the side of the road leading up to the terminal.

"I pulled over for five or six minutes until such time that he needed me to come to a certain pillar number and then I proceeded,” said Islam.

Weeks later Islam got a trespass notice from Lester B. International Pearson Airport that said fines for prohibited parking amount due $85.

While Islam said he didn't see any warnings where he was parked, there are no-stopping signs posted as you approach the airport terminals and a private company uses cameras to take photos of licence plates to send you the notice.

Islam said he shouldn't have to pay the $85 because he feels he wasn't trespassing.

"This is a public property that I passed through and I’m getting a ticket from a private company saying this is trespassing. I have not gone onto to someone's private property" said Islam.

Ryan White with media relations with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) said in a statement that, “this program has been in place at Toronto Pearson since 2018 and is communicated on our website and regularly on Twitter. Our number one priority is the safety of everyone on airport grounds, and that includes drivers using the roadways around the terminals. Parking on the roadsides around the terminals is unsafe and increases the risk of preventable collisions.”

“The GTAA is responsible for public safety at the airport and has implemented a number of practices aimed at deterring the unsafe practice of roadside parking, including offering free Cell Phone Waiting Areas and implementing the mobile payment notice program. Signage is installed at regular intervals along the roadside at the airport notifying drivers that the roads are monitored by mobile patrols.”

“We also have wayfinding signs in place that direct drivers to the Cell Phone Waiting Areas. Private companies across Canada, and in many other countries around the world, issue similar payment notices. In Toronto Pearson’s case, this program has been implemented with the safety of all those on airport grounds in mind.”

The airport also has an Express Pass you can apply for online that allows you to have 18 minutes of free parking at the airport if you are dropping off or picking up a passenger.

Islam still feels the trespass notice is unfair.

"I think this is a cash grab there are certain ways they are trying to reach into people's pockets" said Islam.

If you get one of these trespass notices it will not affect your driver's licence or your car insurance, but if you don't pay it, it could be sent to a collections agency which could affect your credit rating.