DataWazo, a data strategy company based in Fredericton, NB, is monitoring the data as frustrations escalate in Canada due to long airport delays, in part due to increased summer travel and a lack of adequate airport staff. “There was some kind of hope for a repeat when the orders were lifted at 20. This has not yet been widely seen,” DataWazo owner Ray Harris told CTV National News. “The numbers are about the same before the 20th and after the 20th. It just doesn’t seem to be improving.” On June 20, the federal government lifted a requirement for domestic and international outbound travelers to provide proof of vaccination when traveling by plane or train. Driven by tourism and airlines, they believed the move would help increase staffing levels. However, documents submitted to Parliament and examined by CTV National News show that the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) had 1,904 officers working at Canada airports from May 1, 2022, down from 2,033 on January 1, 2020, and 1,981 on May 1, 2020. January, 2016. As of May 4, 2022, 103 CBSA employees were on unpaid leave due to their vaccination status. Meanwhile, documents show that 6,867 people were employed by third-party contractors of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) to carry out airport security checks as of May 16, 2022. This compares with 7,420 active control officers on 1 January 2020 and 5,509 on 1 January 2016. Six CATSA employees were on unpaid leave due to their vaccination status on 14 June. CATSA is responsible for checking passengers and baggage at Canadian airports. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says that while the federal government waited for a return to travel, few predicted that the increase would happen now. However, he says 91 percent of the passengers currently waiting on CATSA lines are processed in 15 minutes or less, which he called a significant improvement over three or four weeks ago. “For our part, we did what we could that is under the control of the federal government,” he said. “Now we have to work with airlines and airports to deal with flight delays and baggage handling, because we need airline and airport cooperation to deal with these issues.” Mark Weber, national president of the Union of Customs and Immigration, says the number of front-line workers has been experiencing a “slow erosion” for some time. “So right now, we’re hiring the same amount we hired last year and last year. The numbers hired basically cover the wear and tear,” he said. Meanwhile, the CBSA is imposing compulsory overtime and suspending non-core training as part of its “summer action plan”. Even if more people were hired this year, Weber says under the current system a person must go through 18 weeks of training and one year of apprenticeship before becoming a full-time officer. “Well, to face things this summer, this ship has set sail a bit.” With files from CTV News and the Canadian Press
