4 News Nicole Halseth News Editor ccording to an article published by BBC World News, “a man in Edmonton was allowed to board a flight after a pipe bomb found in his bag was confiscated by airport security.” CBC News also reported that one of the security guards at the Edmonton International Airport even attempted to hand the bomb back to the passenger in question. This passenger was 18-year-old Skylar Vincent Murphy, from Spruce Grove, Alberta. He was allowed to board a plane to Mexico for a week-long family vacation, even after this bomb was found in his carry-on bag by airport security officials. After inspecting the device, a camera apparently caught a guard returning the bomb to the passenger. He was reportedly told several times that he could keep the device. The teenager, however, refused to take the bomb back. The RCMP was not notified of the event until four days later. The explosive device was reportedly 15cm long and packed with gunpowder. Snow removal in Prince Nicole Halseth News Editor Aww on snow and ice clearing operations was presented to the Prince George City Council on 20 January 2014. Though the city council does not address the day-to-day operations of snow clearing, it does have control over snow clearing policies. The report was meant to address the many problems and complaints that have arisen over the past few weeks over the issue of snow and ice clearing on Prince George streets. The report spurred an hour long discussion over how to address the numerous complications involved with this issue. Bill Gaal, operations superintendent, discussed recent rumours that have emerged accusing the city of not being adequately prepared for the winter with sufficient machinery, and that the city was keeping snowplows parked in order to save money. According to an article by the Prince George Citizen, he addressed these concerns by saying “snow fleet size has not been reduced. We do have operators.” He also said that the city of Prince George had been borrowing equipment to aid in their operations from such Man boards plane after bomb confiscation According to BBC News, Murphy “claimed to have forgotten it was in the bag after making it with a friend for fun some months before.” Though he admitted to making the bomb, Murphy apparently just “accidentally” took it to the airport, according to CBC News, after he placed it in a camera bag following its creation in February 2013 and forgot about it. When Murphy returned to Canada he was arrested in the airport. Following this incident, Murphy pleaded guilty and was charged 100 dollars. In response to this incident, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has apparently suspended several security officers. All involved personnel were disciplined, and had to complete additional training. In a statement to CBC News, Lisa Raitt, Canada's Federal Transport Minister, said it was “unacceptable” that Murphy was allowed to board the plane and continue his journey following the discovery of his bomb possession. “The safety of Canadians and the travelling public is our government’s top priority," Raitt told CBC organizations as the Prince George Airport Authority, Columbia Bitulithic, as well as neighbouring communities. Numerous other views emerged throughout the discussion. Some councilors called for broader discussion, and even suggested the formation of a committee set to deal exclusively with these issues. It seems many councilors are in agreement that the current policy needs to be reassessed. Councilor Albert Koehler stated that “past practices may have worked, but they may not work anymore." However, it seems that not News ina written statement. She continued with “this individual should not have been allowed to board his flight, and it is unacceptable that [CATSA] waited four days before seeking the RCMP's assistance.” Apparently, in an email to CBC News, the spokesman for CATSA, Mathieu Larocque, responded that he understood these concerns and that numerous preventative measures have been taken to discourage similar incidents in the future. He wrote “CATSA has completed a full review last fall of the incident. During the course of its review, CATSA concluded that the RCMP should have been contacted earlier George every councilor is in agreement. Councilor Dave Wilbur said “no matter what you plan, it's not always going to work out... accept that stuff happens, and get on with it.” According to the article by the Prince George Citizen, Mayor Shari Green was against the formation of a committee, and that “she'd rather the initiative come from staff, not a knee-jerk reaction to a community outpouring of frustration.” The council is set to continue discussions on this matter, following another report to be presented to the council at a meeting on 24 February. According to the City of Prince George Snow Operations CITY OF PRINCE GEORGE Edmonton International Ai , are | in the process as per our procedures.” He continued by stating that “corrective actions have been taken and those involved in the incident were disciplined and required to take additional training. We have also updated screening officers’ training material across the country and put more emphasis on our procedures.” This incident raises important questions about the state of airport security throughout the country. Hopefully, CATSA will be able to prevent such missteps in the future and ensure the continued safety of air travellers in Canada. website, the city budgeted $4.842 million and actually spent $5.299 for snow and ice expenses in 2012, the most recent statistics available. The city has typically budgeted around $4 million for snow and ice expenses each year in the past decade. The city, through the Transportation Division and using various private sector services and equipment, is responsible for plowing sidewalks (along major streets) and roads, usually based on routes established with garbage collection schedules in mind. During “snow emergencies and major storms,” the city is supposed to regulate snow and ice services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Overall, the City’s Transportation Division is responsible for the maintenance of 670 kilometers of roads in the area. According to Gaal, the city has a five day completion goal for snow and ice clearing that they try to meet. More information can be found at: http://princegeorge.ca/cityservices/ transportation/snowoperations/Pages/ Default.aspx All long-suffering citizens in Prince George who drive a car or otherwise deal with the inconveniences of winter in other ways will be eagerly awaiting improvements to current snow and ice clearing policy.