Toronto’s Pearson International Airport staged a false protest on Saturday to test its readiness for an emergency.
Some 300 people, a mix of employees and volunteers, demonstrated in protest on Electra Road near Convair Drive in Mississauga. The event was part of an emergency drill organized by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which manages the airport.
“We are testing our response to an emergency or security situation,” GTAA spokeswoman Tori Gass said Saturday.
“It’s important that we test our response in as real a situation as possible to know that when a situation like this occurs, we’re taking the right steps to respond.”
Gass said the protest was peaceful. Peel and Transport Canada regional police also participated in the training exercise.
He said the emergency exercise is the first to be conducted in person since the COVID-19 pandemic affected Ontario. The airport is a place where people like to gather to protest, Gass said.
Protesters, wearing red T-shirts, were “very excited” to play their roles, he said. They carried false banners and chanted, “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!”
A sign read: “It looks like I chose the wrong week to trust the government.”
In a press release, the GTAA said these exercises are required by Transport Canada.