In July, the Canadian government implemented an action plan to evacuate thousands of Canadians either residing or vacationing in Lebanon. The GTAA was put on notice to expect the influx and implemented an action plan of their own to ensure a smooth arrival for many weary travellers. Within 24 hours of the first inbound flight carrying Lebanese evacuees, the GTAA had mobilized its resources to prepare for the potential receipt of hundreds, or possibly thousands, of people fleeing that country.

The GTAA is constantly preparing for extraordinary circumstances such as those experienced over three days in July. Through an extensive network of industry partners, the GTAA put Toronto Pearson in a position to effectively handle the situation.

The original request for GTAA support came from Air Canada who had been contracted by the federal Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) to supply up to five evacuation flights from countries neighbouring Lebanon to repatriate citizens and their families to Canada.

GTAA Emergency Planning, headed by Deane Johanis, hits the ground running during events of this nature and ensures that all measures are taken care of.

Working with the GTAA’s Airport Duty Manager’s Office, Terminal Operations and Public Safety & Security,Emergency Planning met with the air carrier to get an idea of requirements. Once the security status of the flight had been confirmed as compliant with the airport's established procedures, and once the port of entry process had been finalized by the joint Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA), the next order of business was ensuring the comfort and wellbeing of those coming off of the inbound flights while providing them with the most effective preliminary assessment process possible via the assembled groups.

“We knew that many of the evacuees had travelled for more than 10 hours just to get to the airport in Turkey and many others had spent upwards of five days travelling with small children and the elderly,” said Johanis. “We had no idea of their condition or status in Canada, so we arranged to have the necessary in place, including medical and counselling services as well as access to repatriation services.” The flights arrived at the Infield Terminal (IFT). There, they were met by the air carrier, border services, police and airport Duty Manager for a preliminary triage of needs before being transported to Terminal 1 for entry processing. Airport Customer Assistance Program (ACAP) personnel were also on hand to aid those requiring mobility assistance.

At Terminal 1, a dedicated assistance centre within secondary Customs was established and staffed with a number of agencies to assist with the special arrivals. Terminal Operations and Facilities staff worked closely with Emergency Planning in providing the logistics that allowed for this unused Customs area to be transformed into a welcoming/assistance centre for the arrivals.

The Airport's Emergency Program includes an Emergency Resource Inventory containing a listing of local area hotels. Emergency Planning checked adjacent airport hotels for availability and rates were secured for the inbound passengers in need of lodging. As part of emergency logistics, Emergency Planning coordinated the supply of food and beverage items for passengers through Select Service Partner on behalf of the Province.

A range of other GTAA staff specializing in various capacities also lent their support to this event.

Designated as the lead ministry by the Province, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) coordinated the actions of the participating provincial ministries and supporting agencies and performed the role of single point of contact for the airport and the air carrier. There was no shortage of offers to help and agencies were quickly assembled at Terminal 1, including:

• Peel Region Paramedic Service
• The Ministry of Community and Social Services
• Canadian Red Cross
• Peel Regional Police
• RCMP
• The Arab Community Centre of Toronto
• Via Rail (provided linking services, primarily between Toronto and Montreal)

The Emergency Planning department contracted Crisis Mental Health Service provider (part of the Airport’s Family Support Program) were called in to provide crisis counselling and support.

“We also took into consideration the fact that communications in Lebanon were strained and many of the passengers likely hadn’t spoken to family or friends in Canada for several days,” said Johanis. With that in mind, the GTAA contacted Bell Mobility, who in-turn provided cellular telephones for passengers on the first flights. Passengers on later inbound flights had access to the GTAA’s emergency inventory of i-den radios with cell phone capability. The Airport LINK (APM) also played a key role in transporting passengers from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 who were staying at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel. This was the first time since its recent opening that the Airport LINK had been utilized in support of an emergency function. The City of Brampton provided city buses for those who had secured medium to longer term stays through the Ministry of Community & Social Services.

At a moment’s notice, the GTAA and its many partners were able to respond to this situation—a true testament to the professionalism and expertise held amongst those involved in the operation of Canada’s most important airport. Thank you to everyone that had a hand in the successful return of hundreds of evacuees.