Transit police who were using explosives to train bomb-sniffing dogs left one of the bombs aboard an Air Canada 767 that later carried passengers, a taxpayers group reported this week. The incident happened about two years ago, in January 2011, and was only confirmed after the group filed a Freedom of Information request. The dog handler noticed the device was missing two days after the training session, and reported it. Air Canada inspected the airplane 14 times, but the bomb was never found. It was believed to have been tossed out with the trash. The material was inert without the aid of an explosive booster, “i.e., blasting cap,” according to the police report.
“Why on earth were Transit Police — responsible for SkyTrain lines — planting explosives on a commercial airplane as a dog training exercise?” asked Jordan Bateman, an official with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “How inept do you have to be to not account for every explosive you put on a plane? This incident is a chilling reminder of what happens when police agencies push past their level of expertise and jurisdiction.” The taxpayers group has long been critical of the Transit Police, saying its officers are overpaid and ineffective.
