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New anti-terrorist rules may snag island ferry
The Star
Plans by Ottawa to screen bags, install detectors `make no sense' for Toronto on busy weekends, David Miller says
Feb 09, 2007 04:30 AM
Toronto's island ferry service is seeking exemptions from Transport Canada security rules that might require passengers to board single file, go through a metal detector, and have their bags and coolers searched.
Mayor David Miller says the new rules "make no sense" for the island ferries, which carry tens of thousands of passengers on busy summer weekends.
"The equivalent is to say you need a metal detector at every bus stop in Toronto," Miller said in an interview.
The ferry service is "accidentally caught up in a federal program that I would hope is not designed to deal with urban transportation," he said.
City spokesperson Brad Ross said the ferry service has been talking to Transport Canada about the security rules, meant to thwart terrorists.
Some of the regulations won't interfere with current operations, Ross said, such as having secure fencing around boarding areas and installing surveillance cameras.
But rules about making passengers board in single file, checking bags and coolers or running passengers through metal detectors do raise practical questions, he said.
The city is talking to Transport Canada about how to meet its requirements but also the needs of Toronto residents, he said.
"Within the regulations, as I understand it, there are exemptions, and you can relax the regulations in certain circumstances," he said. "That's what we're trying to find, that middle ground. That's what the talks with Transport Canada are about."
Miller told the Star he hasn't taken part in the talks, but could get involved if necessary.
"The discussion so far has been civil service to civil service," he said.
"But from my perspective, Toronto ferries, first of all, are not a safety threat. Secondly, they're a city service within city boundaries and should not be subject to these kind of federal requirements, period."
A Transport Canada spokesman said he couldn't comment yesterday.
CITY HALL BUREAU staff
The Star
Plans by Ottawa to screen bags, install detectors `make no sense' for Toronto on busy weekends, David Miller says
Feb 09, 2007 04:30 AM
Toronto's island ferry service is seeking exemptions from Transport Canada security rules that might require passengers to board single file, go through a metal detector, and have their bags and coolers searched.
Mayor David Miller says the new rules "make no sense" for the island ferries, which carry tens of thousands of passengers on busy summer weekends.
"The equivalent is to say you need a metal detector at every bus stop in Toronto," Miller said in an interview.
The ferry service is "accidentally caught up in a federal program that I would hope is not designed to deal with urban transportation," he said.
City spokesperson Brad Ross said the ferry service has been talking to Transport Canada about the security rules, meant to thwart terrorists.
Some of the regulations won't interfere with current operations, Ross said, such as having secure fencing around boarding areas and installing surveillance cameras.
But rules about making passengers board in single file, checking bags and coolers or running passengers through metal detectors do raise practical questions, he said.
The city is talking to Transport Canada about how to meet its requirements but also the needs of Toronto residents, he said.
"Within the regulations, as I understand it, there are exemptions, and you can relax the regulations in certain circumstances," he said. "That's what we're trying to find, that middle ground. That's what the talks with Transport Canada are about."
Miller told the Star he hasn't taken part in the talks, but could get involved if necessary.
"The discussion so far has been civil service to civil service," he said.
"But from my perspective, Toronto ferries, first of all, are not a safety threat. Secondly, they're a city service within city boundaries and should not be subject to these kind of federal requirements, period."
A Transport Canada spokesman said he couldn't comment yesterday.
CITY HALL BUREAU staff
