SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Thousands of items were seized by airport security in Yellowknife over a two-year span, according to documents obtained by Yellowknifer.

Security screeners from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, the federal Crown corporation that screens airport passengers and their luggage, seized a total of 14,447 items from travellers going through Yellowknife Airport between 2011 and 2013. - NNSL file photo

The Canadian Air Transport Safety Authority (CATSA) – the federal Crown corporation that screens airport passengers and their luggage – reports a total of 14,447 items were taken from passengers looking to take to the skies between 2011 and 2013. The information is contained in documents obtained through an Access to Information request.

The majority of the items – 9,906 – are placed in the “Other” category, which includes drugs, large amounts of money, liquids and gels, animal parts, crossbows and arrows, animals and kitchen appliances.

Maphieu Larocque, a spokesperson with CATSA, said this category is typically the largest for any Canadian airport as it acts as a catch-all category when an airport screener isn't sure how to categorize a seized item.

“Our main focus is to stop these items from getting past the security checkpoint, rather than checking what specifically they are,” said Larocque.

One item that is more commonly seized in Yellowknife in comparison to airports in the south are bullets.

“It's not uncommon in the North to see hunting equipment,” said Larocque. “Passengers just forget them in their pockets, or they're packed improperly in checked luggage.”

According to Statistics Canada, 347,362 passengers passed through Yellowknife Airport in 2012.