Farid Siddiqui, General Manager, Security, YYC Calgary International Airport
I still remember the moment I first envisioned the safe room at YYC. As General Manager of Security, with 26 years at the RCMP, and as a father of two daughters, I’d seen too much of organized crime’s dark side. In my role at YYC Calgary International Airport, coupled with decades of law enforcement experience, I knew I wanted to create a place where victims feel safe and cared for.
When I first pitched the “soft room” to my team, I explained the challenge airports face: trafficking victims are often moved through airports, but it’s intentionally hidden. By design, victims often don’t know where they are, or even which city they’re in. They are disoriented, alone, and in many cases, traumatized. We needed a place where they could feel safe, undetected, and cared for. Collaborating with a small, carefully chosen team, including engineers, project managers, and interior designers, led primarily by women, we infused empathy and creativity into every detail. The result was a welcoming, safe and compassionate space: fresh clothes, toiletries, toys, a warm fireplace, a computer with no password, food, and most critically, a cell-phone charger—the lifeline that can connect a frightened person to help.
A Safe Space for Vulnerability
While the room’s primary purpose is to aid human trafficking victims, the room has also become a quiet refuge for travelers or airport staff grappling with sudden grief. It’s a quiet space where dignity and privacy matter when everything else feels chaotic.
Within just the first few months of opening, the room had already been used eight times, mainly by young women aged 17 to 23 who were being trafficked across Canada, often oblivious to their surroundings or how they’d arrived there. That told us everything we needed to know: the need was real, immediate, and critical.
This project didn’t happen in isolation. In 2018, YYC partnered with #NotInMyCity, plastering yellow-rose decals and informative posters in washrooms, arrivals, and baggage areas, helping to raise awareness, educate staff, and give victims discreet tools (hotlines, QR codes) to get help.
We coordinate closely with law enforcement partners: The RCMP, ALERT, and others, to ensure victims are supported instantly and with compassion once they’re in the soft room.
Beyond YYC: Inspiring Others
Edmonton International Airport recently opened the doors to their own safe room, and Winnipeg Airport has shown interest in replicating our model. I’m hopeful this initiative could become standard across Canadian airports.
The soft room embodies YYC’s inclusive culture and deep empathy. It’s more than just infrastructure, it’s a statement: We will always stand with survivors.
We’re not experts in human trafficking ourselves, but we know how to provide safety and lean on experts to guide survivors to the next step. That’s how we break cycles and spark healing.
YYC Calgary International Airport is currently building a second safe room in the terminal, inspiring airports across the country. YYC continues to be a phenomenal ally for #NotInMyCity, through donations, partnerships and innovative thinking.
To learn more about how you can be an ally, and to stay tuned for future fundraising events, follow #NotInMyCity on Instagram or Facebook!
