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
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.