http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... y/NationalPEARSON AIRPORT SECURITY GTAA, Baird start mending fences
COLIN FREEZE
April 7, 2009
TORONTO -- Federal politicians and Pearson airport officials began mending fences at a meeting yesterday in Ottawa following last week's criticism of the airport's security by Transport Minister John Baird.
Lloyd McComb, the president of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, headed to Parliament Hill to meet Mr. Baird and discuss perimeter security in the wake of a sneak inspection by Mr. Baird and Liberal Senator Colin Kenny reported in The Globe and Mail.
The pair walked onto a secure area of the tarmac through an open door after being given an airport security briefing by the Mounties. The GTAA responded to the news by announcing it was suspending the escort privileges of the Mountie chaperons.
The stunned politicians said the GTAA had missed the point: Their overarching concerns were open doors on airport property, and other vulnerabilities that could be exploited by criminals or terrorists, and not the RCMP guides who had helped to bring the problems to the public's attention.
A peeved Mr. Baird promised changes at Pearson and arranged yesterday's meeting with Mr. McComb.
"The GTAA has accepted full responsibility and informed the Minister that immediate action is being taken to address the serious issues identified last week," said Chris Day, a spokesman for Mr. Baird.
"The GTAA has assured us that the escort privileges of the two RCMP officers sanctioned last week are being restored."
GTAA vs. Transport Canada : Security
Moderators: lilfssister, North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, I WAS Birddog
GTAA vs. Transport Canada : Security
Not sure who will be the victor in this grudge match however I do know the loser will be those who are just trying to do their job honestly at the airport. Really not looking forward to the bureaucratic nightmare this will most likely turn into.
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Re: GTAA vs. Transport Canada : Security
Full taser privileges too."The GTAA has assured us that the escort privileges of the two RCMP officers sanctioned last week are being restored."
Re: GTAA vs. Transport Canada : Security
Can anyone confirm that both Baird and Kenny have received Transport Canada security clearance (RAIC) through the FULL and NORMAL approval process and that both were displaying their Red Passes on this occasion? If a positive answer is given to both aspects then there can be no complaint about their conduct.
If the answer to either aspect is negative and they were unescorted and not displaying Yellow Passes, both of which would have been required for them to be in the airport’s restricted areas legally, then there are some serious issues. Both will have broken the law and should have been charged. If they have not been charged then those responsible for enforcing the laws at this airport should be charged with dereliction of duty.
Note that in a civilised country where the rule of law prevails all citizens, including politicians, are equal before the law and nobody has the right to break the law, whether in the so-called testing of others or in some other manner. This means that although the Transport Minister (not Kenny) might have a right to inspect airports it has to be exercised legally, which means that he (and Kenny) would need to have and display a Yellow Pass and be escorted in restricted areas unless he has been approved through the full TC security screening process and possesses and displays his Red Pass.
If Baird and Kenny have broken the law and been treated differently from other citizens then there should be a public inquiry into why and the omission should be promptly remedied by charging them. Messrs Baird and Kenny should have learned by about age four that two wrongs do not make a right!
If the answer to either aspect is negative and they were unescorted and not displaying Yellow Passes, both of which would have been required for them to be in the airport’s restricted areas legally, then there are some serious issues. Both will have broken the law and should have been charged. If they have not been charged then those responsible for enforcing the laws at this airport should be charged with dereliction of duty.
Note that in a civilised country where the rule of law prevails all citizens, including politicians, are equal before the law and nobody has the right to break the law, whether in the so-called testing of others or in some other manner. This means that although the Transport Minister (not Kenny) might have a right to inspect airports it has to be exercised legally, which means that he (and Kenny) would need to have and display a Yellow Pass and be escorted in restricted areas unless he has been approved through the full TC security screening process and possesses and displays his Red Pass.
If Baird and Kenny have broken the law and been treated differently from other citizens then there should be a public inquiry into why and the omission should be promptly remedied by charging them. Messrs Baird and Kenny should have learned by about age four that two wrongs do not make a right!
Re: GTAA vs. Transport Canada : Security
Can't confirm whether this is true or not, however I found this in an article:
Also:But the non-profit organization that runs Pearson said that it wouldn't characterize the visit as a security breach, because temporary passes were issued to the federal MPs and RCMP officers were accompanying them.
The politicians stopped at the airport RCMP detachment before their security test and were issued passes by the police and by the GTAA. Wearing orange traffic vests and carrying clipboards, they proceeded to see how easy it was to gain access to the airport tarmac.
http://www.mississauga.com/article/25753
It would appear, according to these articles, that they were issued temporary Yellow Passes and the RCMP officers were their escorts.Although both men had been given security passes, they were never asked to show them. The politicians discovered the lapse was most prominent in the perimeter of Terminal 1.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/614802
Have Pratts - Will Travel
Re: GTAA vs. Transport Canada : Security
If the guys doing the inspecting are wearing their passes, it wouldn't be much of an inspections would it! Someone has to play the bad guy, act like the bad guy,,, ie attempt to sneak in somewhere with no pass, if you want to know if the system works!Carrier wrote:Can anyone confirm that both Baird and Kenny have received Transport Canada security clearance (RAIC) through the FULL and NORMAL approval process and that both were displaying their Red Passes on this occasion? If a positive answer is given to both aspects then there can be no complaint about their conduct.
If the answer to either aspect is negative and they were unescorted and not displaying Yellow Passes, both of which would have been required for them to be in the airport’s restricted areas legally, then there are some serious issues. Both will have broken the law and should have been charged. If they have not been charged then those responsible for enforcing the laws at this airport should be charged with dereliction of duty.
Note that in a civilised country where the rule of law prevails all citizens, including politicians, are equal before the law and nobody has the right to break the law, whether in the so-called testing of others or in some other manner. This means that although the Transport Minister (not Kenny) might have a right to inspect airports it has to be exercised legally, which means that he (and Kenny) would need to have and display a Yellow Pass and be escorted in restricted areas unless he has been approved through the full TC security screening process and possesses and displays his Red Pass.
If Baird and Kenny have broken the law and been treated differently from other citizens then there should be a public inquiry into why and the omission should be promptly remedied by charging them. Messrs Baird and Kenny should have learned by about age four that two wrongs do not make a right!
I am not saying it should be the minister though,,,, and yes the should be pre cleared and have a pass, just not be using it.
Re: GTAA vs. Transport Canada : Security
I believe the Minister was trying to prove a point that just because you have something laminated hanging from a clip on your chest, doesn't mean it is a real pass and also that there are areas that he could get airside without anyone questioning him. Just because an individual has a high vis vest or a pass pinned to him, doesn't mean he is actually authorized to be there. For example, during flight college, I worked the ramp at an airport in nw Ontario. After graduating and moving on, I realized I still had my yellow airside pass and the next spring on my way to my float job, I stopped in to this location to drop off this pass even though they had never asked for it back. (Just after 9/11, too) How many other people still have their passes that no longer legally require them? If people with bad intentions want to get airside, do you think they are just going to jump the fence and start running or are they not going to dress the part with fake passes, coveralls, vest, etc. to blend in like the Minister did, knowing that these 'holes' in security exist. A pass that needs to be swiped and a secure perimeter around major airports may be a start (but certainly not the end). Accurate background and criminal record checks (from all available agencies) would be another. Would the Minister, being at the top in the hierarchy, not have unlimited access to anything that has to do with aviation (i.e. customs areas, ramp, etc.)? For those who say that he should be charged if he didn't have his red pass while in secure areas, answer this. Should a drug squad police officer who buys dope from a drug dealer subsequently be charged with possessing those drugs after the 'buy'? Give your head a shake and snap out of it. 
G.
G.
