jeffb,
I can't remember how we were accommodated at the Canadian National Exhibition in '41, but Wiki says it is held (now) from mid-August till Labour Day (September). If that were the case then, that would account for the animals being there at the same time as I was (my log shows "RCAF Toronto 16-30.8.41.").
By January '42, the exhibition grounds would have been empty, so I suppose the "large rooms" your Dad speaks of had plenty of space to provide "dormitories" for 30-40 airmen.
For "packing them in tight", you could hardly improve on the arrangements I (as a Sgt/Pilot) found on the "Stirling Castle" en route Liverpool-Bahia-Durban-Bombay (8 wks in Oct/Dec'42).
They had rows of
seven tier wooden bunks in the (former) 1st Class Dining Room, set out just like supermarket aisles: one of which bunks was the only personal space you, and your "Wanted on Voyage" kit had to live in.
Luxury it was not, but I had a top bunk (about three foot clearance from the ceiling) and so (as I have previously recounted), I could step on every other face each time up or down, whereas no one stood on mine (some people have all the luck !) I suppose the Dining Room must have had fans (in peace it would have been on the Southhampton-Capetown run - and no air-conditioning then), but there were none near me. For safety, I suppose the "aisles" would have been arranged under the fans to avoid decapitations and to stir the air around a bit.
As regards forced landings, we were more fortunate on the West side of Florida. Although I never had a real one (there), we got a practice one nearly every dual trip in the Stearmans; but there were miles of level grassland in every direction, so the only hazard was fence wire.
Our instructors never pulled one on us over the Everglades, for there baling out would be the only option, and even then you'd have to take your chance with the 'gators and watersnakes (seems there are six venemous kinds of these in the US, and four of them are in south Florida).
Danny.