Once a student intern from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Gary Tam embarked on a journey he could have never imagined.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, B.C., he started with the Fort McMurray Airport Authority as a student in the summer of 2019. After graduating, he moved back to the city to take on the role as an Airport Operations Specialist with FMAA in January 2020.
Little did Gary know his first months in Fort McMurray would test his resilience. In March, the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly after, a devastating flood forced him to evacuate his new residence.
"The first half of the year, I experienced a lot of things I had never in my life. It wasn't an easy start, but I'm very grateful to the FMAA Team for their support, not just in the job but my well-being. It's the most humanistic team I have ever been a part of," Gary said.
Reflecting on his position, Gary shared he was happy to be a part of the team responsible for attaining FMAA's accreditation for ACI's World Airport Health Program, as YMM was the first airport in Western Canada to receive it and re-accreditation in 2021.
"I was able to participate in this project and proud to be a part of the team to showcase to the rest of the world that we were, and still are, doing a good job and continue to encourage other airports to maintain their health and safe setting for travellers," he said.
Today, Gary continues to keep health and safety at the forefront of his work. He recently led a team in successfully facilitating Canadian Airports Safety Week at YMM.
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