No new security here

The federal government could be leaving crucial gaps in airport security by focusing solely on large airports, says the Dawson Creek Airport manager.

"In the past, with the kinds of threats that we've had, the smaller airports are the front lines," Ian Darling said Wednesday. "They spend a lot of money at those big airports, but the smaller guys are the front lines."

Following the Christmas Day airplane bombing attempt, Federal Transport Minister John Baird announced increased security at Canada's airport. The increased security would include the use of full body scanners or millimeter wave screening (MMW), but the new devices are currently only scheduled to be set up in Canada's eight Class 1 airports.

Darling explained that flights out of Dawson Creek do not fly directly to the U.S., which remains a key terrorism target, but passengers could transfer after flying into larger centre's, completely circumventing increased security measures at larger airports.

"Any one of these smaller regional airports are perfect to do a transfer to a bigger airport," he said. "They can get screened out of here... and then get into the bigger airport, then they're right in the clean area."

Dawson Creek Airport boasts a single asphalt runway and a water aerodrome for seaplanes. The airport accommodates privately owned Central Mountain Air and Swanberg Air. Being issued a full-body scanner would be skipping a step, as the airport has been operating for years without even a walkthrough metal detector.

"We had a bit of a technical problem with our walkthrough in Dawson Creek so they basically just took it right out and hand wand everybody," Darling said. "We've been hand wanding for the past, almost four years or more."

Despite direct flights to Vancouver International Airport by Central Mountain Air, Dawson Creek Airport doesn't even seem to be on Canada Air Transport Security Authority's (CATSA) radar. After an extensive search, Ottawa-based CATSA spokesperson Maryse Durette was unable to find a listing for Dawson Creek Airport.

Durette confirmed the Class 1 airports, which are Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, would receive full body scanners this week with 32 additional scanners arriving in the next five to 10 weeks.

"Does that mean Dawson Creek will get one? I cannot see until we see the deployment plan by CATSA," she said.

Following Baird's announcement about the full body scanners, it was reported that exemptions would be for anyone under the age of 18. When given the scenario of a terrorist circumventing the body scanners by catching a flight in Dawson Creek, Durette explained they could avoid the scanners at large airports as well.

"The body scanning, screening will be optional or by choice. They're mainly an added layer of security or safety," she said. "There's also the pat down taking place."

A body scanner pilot project has been taking place at Kelowna Airport for the past year and the results of the project were presented to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. In an October 2009 response to the pilot project, the OPC came up with a number of recommendations, including one where passengers had the option not to be scanned and instead undergo the standard pat down.

"If you say you don't want to go into the scanner there's going to be the pat down," Durette said. "Some people say it's less intrusive to go in the scanner because you don't get touched in any way."