by Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 07/97) - Public school board officials are concerned building searches are inadequate, following a series of bomb threats at Yellowknife schools this year.

In a presentation to city council on Tuesday, the public school board made a request for a police dog trained to track bombs.

"We need a better means to ensure that the buildings are safe," said Ken Woodley, superintendent of the public school board.

"We need to determine if there are explosive material in buildings."

Woodley said parents are complaining that searches done after bomb threats at city schools weren't thorough enough. "We can't answer the questions of the parents," he said.

Despite these concerns, the RCMP said the request for a police dog is not a fiscal reality in the near future.

Staff Sgt. Dave Grundy said that a dog and its handler would likely cost $150,000 a year for the NWT, a study done last year revealed.

"It probably wouldn't even be in Yellowknife a lot because it would be on the road a lot," he said. "The dog wouldn't be just for Yellowknife."

Grundy said the need for a drug dog is a lot more of a priority for police than a dog trained to sniff out bombs.

"A dog trained for bombs probably wouldn't be that successful," he said. "They're trained for tracking and search and rescue in small enclosed places."

Grundy said he can empathize with the schools, but the reality is that the demand isn't that high. He can only remember one bomb ever found in a Yellowknife school.

Set by a student, the bomb exploded in the bathroom at William Macdonald school at least ten years ago. No one was hurt, but there was damage to the bathroom.

"I agree we need a dog, but I don't think we need a bomb dog -- we need a drug dog," he said. "If parents want one, I would suggest that they contact their local MLA."

The public school board has since installed a telephone recording system to monitor any incoming bomb threats at Sir John Franklin high school.

Several threats forced the evacuation of the school, causing the cancellation of classes several times this winter. The most recent threat came this week at St. Patrick high school.

"But we are also concerned about what happens if it's not a prank," said Ken Woodley.

The City of Yellowknife didn't support the request for a canine unit in Yellowknife at Tuesday's meeting.