Toronto Pearson using new eGates to help battle delays
New technology has been installed at Toronto Pearson to try and help move people "better and faster" through the airport.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency, electronic gates, better known as eGates, have now been installed and are being tested at the airport as part of a trial.
"We are developing and testing new digital tools and technology to deliver a better and faster border experience for travellers arriving at Canadian airports," the CBSA said in a post to Instagram.
The eGates will be used to verify travellers' identity and submit their customs and immigration declaration.
When travellers arrive at the eGates, they will scan their travel document at the machine. The device will then take a photo of the traveller before printing out a confirmation receipt.
The traveller will then hand that receipt to a border officer.
The CBSA said it hopes the kiosks will help improve the flow of traffic through customs halls.
For the time being, the CBSA said the eGates will be available to international travellers aged 16 and over at Terminal 1.
Toronto Pearson has been plagued by massive lines caused by staffing shortages and an influx of people ready to travel following the pandemic.
Nearly half a million passengers were held up after arriving on international flights at Toronto Pearson in May.
Some 490,810 travellers, or about half of all arrivals from abroad, faced delays as they were held inside their planes on the tarmac or faced staggered off-loading to ease pressure on overflowing customs areas, according to figures provided by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
In total, some 2,700 flights arriving from outside the country were delayed at Pearson last month, versus four flights -- and a few hundred passengers -- in May 2019.
Travellers are being asked to arrive at Toronto Pearson two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.