Yellowknife (Feb 28/05) - People flying through Yellowknife airport have left behind plenty of reminders of new security measures.

Toy guns, opened water bottles and pointy objects of all sorts have been seized from airport passengers in the past year in the name of post-9/11 security.

Some of the items prohibited from carry-on baggage: billiard cues darts fire extinguishers golf clubs hockey sticks ice axes and picks ice skates sling shots Permitted items: umbrellas sports racquets (tennis, squash, racquetball) knitting needles walking canes whips SOURCE: Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.

A report from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) found more than 738,000 items were intercepted by screening officers across Canada in 2004. In the Northwest Territories, security staff seized 1,529 objects.

While the number may seem like a lot, it amounts to a 20 per cent decrease from 2003, said CATSA spokesperson Jacqueline Bannister.

Still, she said, there needs to be greater awareness about what isn't allowed on a plane.

"People are getting better," agreed Ram Srivain, CATSA manager at the Yellowknife airport. "They're starting to understand the system."

For Andrew Harkness, a safety consultant from Niagara, Ontario, who recently flew into Yellowknife, the new security precautions amount to a big nuissance.

"It's a hassle, because it means more time standing in line," he said. "I'm not sure how effective it really is."

A glance at contraband collected by security at the Yellowknife airport reveals scissors in all shapes and sizes, matchbooks, wine openers with folding blades and Swiss army knives.

Also occupying space in the bin is a dull kitchen knife.

Even harmless-looking translucent toy guns are prohibited.

Bannister said that when a security officer sees the silhouette of a toy gun appear on the monitor of the x-ray machine, they're required to call over police on duty in the airport. All this causes delays. <