Victoria airport’s full body scanner left idle, union says. Staff shortage blamed for lack of full-body screening this summer

A $250,000 full-body security scanner at Victoria International Airport sat idle for most of the summer, says a union representing airport workers.

It also sat unused on Sept. 11, the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

“The full-body scanner equipment was non-operational the entire summer due to staffing shortages,” said Tania Canniff of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents Victoria’s airport security workers.

Despite confirmation of this information by airport personnel, Mathieu Larocque, spokesman for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, the Crown corporation responsible for pre-board screening, said the union information was “false.” Larocque said CATSA is the only reliable source of information. But he would not offer specifics on the summer use of the full-body scanner. “We confirm the [full-body scanner] has been and is still being used,” he said. Read more: