Pearson Airport Is Asking Travellers To Show Up Early Because Of An Anti-Mask Protest

A three hour "demonstration" is expected to happen at one of the airport's terminals.

Toronto Pearson Airport Advises Arriving Early Due To Anti-Mask Protest
@torontopearson | Instagram, Courtesy of Shawn Stewart
Senior Writer

Travellers heading to Toronto Pearson Airport on Saturday, August 28, are being asked to give themselves extra time and arrive early because of an anti-mask demonstration.

At 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, the airport revealed in a tweet that the protest is expected to take place from noon to 3 p.m. at Terminal 3.

While no "significant operational impacts" are expected, the airport said that passengers should arrive early if they're going to be departing from Terminal 3.

In a statement to Narcity, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) said it is "monitoring the situation closely" and that the health and safety of both passengers and employees is the top priority.

According to the GTAA, the organizers of the demonstration are Rise Up Durham and they have said their intent is to stay outside the terminals at the publicly accessible areas of the airport.

Toronto Pearson has been telling people to expect delays and longer wait times since new travel rules came into effect at the beginning of August because of COVID-19 health measures and more people coming to the airport. Travellers have shared that it's been "chaotic" at the airport from arrivals to departures.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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