Security precautions on the way for BC Ferries

With Saturday's bomb threat still the top story around the BC Ferries office this week, the province has weighed in with a few ideas of its own to try and make the coastal waters of BC safe and secure.

Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon, ordered a review of the security of B. C. 's transportation sector last year and has plans to go to England in September, to investigate first hand how the British have increased their vigilance on security in the wake of the London tube attacks.

After reviewing his findings, Falcon says security changes could come to B.C. Ferries as early as 2008.

That's in addition to a federal study into security in Transportation set to get underway in mid August and B. C. Ferries own internal plans to address the security issue.

The Times Colonist examined the provinces plans for security in an ever changing world situation.

Province reviewing security on ferries
Changes could come as early as next year
Jeff Rud
Times Colonist
Tuesday, July 31, 2007'

New security precautions to battle potential terrorists and other threats of violence could be coming to B.C. Ferries within the next year, the province's transportation minister said yesterday.

Kevin Falcon said he asked the deputy ministers of B.C.'s transportation and solicitor general's ministries a year ago to conduct a review of security procedures on the province's public transportation systems, including ferries, airlines, SkyTrain and highways.

Falcon will also travel to England in mid-September for meetings with security officials of the subway and ferry systems in that country, which has experienced recent terrorist violence.
Based on that visit and the results of the deputies' review, Falcon said security changes could come to B.C. Ferries as early as 2008.

Falcon made his comments two days after a bomb-threat hoax shut down ferry traffic between Vancouver Island and the Tsawwassen terminal on the mainland for more than five hours.
While he refused to commit to anything, Falcon said that, if deemed worthwhile, the province would consider measures such as the bomb-sniffing dogs employed at Washington state ferry terminals. "I don't want to unnecessarily alarm the public, but I do want people to know that this issue of security is something high on the province's radar screen. ...

We'll probably have a better sense late in the fall, as to concrete steps we can take." Falcon said B.C. Ferries handled the weekend situation "very well." But he has been concerned in a general sense with security on B.C.'s public transportation systems for at least a year. "If something happens somewhere, I want to make sure that we've got a plan in place on how to deal with it."

When asked whether he sees B.C. ferry passengers enduring personal scanners or vehicle searches, Falcon said: "I hope not. ... You want to have a level of protection that is aligned with the threat assessment." He said it may be necessary to use a "step-up" approach to more stringent ferry security if RCMP or national security officials detect a pending threat.

B.C. Ferries is in the midst of spending $3.9 million in federal funding to enhance security at its terminals. That work includes new fencing and closed-circuit security cameras, but B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall would provide no details beyond that. The company expects to receive more federal money over the next two years for security.

B.C. Ferries does no passenger, luggage or vehicle checks. But Marshall confirmed the fleet does have plain-clothes security staff, although she refused to provide a total number or indicate where they are deployed.

The company doesn't keep a passenger manifest for its main routes. It began compiling those lists on its three northern ferries after the sinking of the Queen of the North.

"What we've got to do is weigh the risk," Marshall said. "If we were to get a passenger manifest or check every vehicle or search every passenger that goes on, say, the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay run, we certainly wouldn't be having 16 sailings per day."

Transport Canada will hold public consultations this fall, including one in Victoria, about whether to include domestic ferries under its Marine Transport Security Regulations, which govern international ferries and cruise ships. Transport Canada spokeswoman Julia Ukrintz could not elaborate on what changes B.C. Ferries would have to make should it be compelled in the future to follow those regulations.