A security drill, the first in two years, featured around 300 people playing a mock protest at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Saturday.
The role of airport volunteers and staff was to block an access route and test the response to a security breach. Peel Regional Police and Transport Canada were among the participants.
The fake protesters were equipped with “Trump 2024” or “Take off masks” signs.
“Safety is our top priority at Toronto Pearson Airport, and we always want to ensure that our skills are excellent so that we can respond to emergency situations that may arise in the airport environment,” said Craig Bradbrook, chief operating officer of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA).
The GTAA typically conducts one full-scale exercise and one table-top exercise per year, but these emergency exercises were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.