Global Technology Outage Causes Disruption to Canadian Flights, Hospitals, and Borders

A global technology outage on July 19 grounded flights, disrupted hospitals, and caused delays at border crossings in Canada. The issues persisted even after Microsoft services were supposedly being fixed.

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike stated that the problem causing the outage was not a security breach or cyberattack. The disruptions affected Microsoft 365 apps and services, with ongoing issues despite the company’s efforts to resolve them.

Toronto Pearson International Airport and Montréal–Trudeau International Airport warned of potential flight delays and cancellations due to the outage. Porter Airlines canceled flights until 12 p.m. ET because of the issue.

Meanwhile, Air Canada reported minimal impact on its operations and assured that it was closely monitoring the situation. University Health Network, one of Canada’s major hospital networks, mentioned some system impacts but assured patients that clinical activities were continuing as scheduled, though some delays might occur.

Related Stories

Windsor Police reported long delays at both the Canada-United States border crossings at the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel.

The government of Newfoundland and Labrador warned about possible service disruptions for its digital platforms, with NL Health Services also affected by the IT outage, impacting patient care and finance systems.

Some companies reported no impact from the tech outage. Rogers Communications Inc. stated no disruptions to its phone and internet networks or media outlets. Air Canada confirmed minimal impact on its operations but remained vigilant. Microsoft 365 shared on X social media platform about efforts to reroute traffic for improved service availability.

CrowdStrike mentioned addressing a defect impacting Windows hosts and working with affected customers.