Young scouts stuck in Zurich over the weekend arrive at Toronto Pearson Airport

A number of young scouts landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday morning after they were stuck in Zurich, Switzerland over the weekend.

“They have landed at Pearson,” Hastings—Lennox and Addington Member of Parliament Shelby Kramp-Neuman told CTV News Toronto. “I am delighted.”

On Friday, a group of Bancroft, Ont. scouts, ages 12 to 14, were returning from a 10-day trip in Switzerland. But due to challenges they faced at the airport, they were delayed and ultimately missed their flight.

Scouts Canada confirmed the safe arrival of the contingent along with its involvement in getting the group back on Canadian soil.

“Immediately after being alerted, the local Group contacted the travel agency to make alternate flight arrangements and ensured the contingent had access to food and hotel accommodations,” Kayleigh Kanoza, director of organizational planning at Scouts Canada, said in a statement.

However, she did not specify the nature of the scouts' “challenges” at the airport. Air Canada has said the group was held back at the airport due to lengthy delays while their local MP said the ArriveCan app caused the disruption.

Air Canada confirmed that six members of a scouts flight, which included two leaders, heading for Pearson were held back at the airport. Meanwhile, 15 of the remaining group members flew home.

“You have concern when there are many people away from home,” Kramp-Neuman said.

As the local representative for Bancroft, Kramp-Neuman said a parent reached out to her office on Saturday morning asking for help getting the group home. She said her office then reached out to Joanne Dobson, the director of government affairs at Air Canada.

“I think we do need to look at why this situation occurred; and it appears the ArriveCAN app is, once again, the culprit,” Kramp-Neuman said.

According to one of the parents, the leaders had entered the group's information on the app, but when they arrived at the airport, they discovered only the information for the two adults was logged.

These struggles follow months of pushback over the ArriveCan app, which the federal government has insisted it has no intention of dropping.

“While this entire situation is wholly unacceptable and indicative of the government's stubbornness in their refusal to fix the long standing issues with the app, the most important thing is that the Bancroft scouts and their Scout leaders, Loretta and Bill, are back home safe and sound.”