Since the middle of November there have been 23 laser strikes on airplanes and pilots in the GTA.
In one of those cases, a co-pilot could barely see for 15 minutes as the plane was getting set to land at Pearson.
"If the laser hits the lense of the human eye, the lense automatically focuses it on the retina. It's the cells of the retina that are sensitive to light and those are the cells that can be damaged or killed," explains Transport Canada safety official and retired Air Force fighter pilot Jock Williams. "The thing with a laser, people don't realize this, they go on forever so reach is not a question."
He says this is a very serious issue; it's just a matter of time before someone gets killed. "I hope that Peel Regional Police and all the other involved police forces are coordinating their efforts in this area."
In the United States police helicopters pick up lasers, report it, use a spotting device, and police cars arrive while people are still shooting the laser to the sky.
He doesn't think a ban on lasers would be effective. "We have lots of laws that prevent you from shooting somebody with a gun and hurting or killing them, yet people do it. People know there are penalties and imprisonment and so on, yet they do it. Another law doesn't help."
Williams would prefer an aggressive public educational campaign on the dangers of lasering.