US embassy cable - 04HALIFAX256

UNCLAS HALIFAX 000256 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT, ASEC, ETRD, PINS, PTER, CA, Ports 
SUBJECT: HALIFAX PORT SECURITY CONTNUES TO TIGHTEN 
 
REF: (A)  04 HALIFAX 134  (B) 03 HALIFAX 349 
 
1.  (U)  While Ottawa has yet to follow through on its May 7 
pledge of federal funding for Canadian Marine Facility Security, 
the Port of Halifax has ambitiously pressed forward with a 
series of new security measures using its own funding.  These 
measures place the Port in the forefront of Canadian maritime 
security and on a par with its stateside counterparts.  The Port 
of Halifax receives roughly 200,000 cruise ship passengers a 
year - 95 percent U.S. citizens - and transships over 4 million 
tons of containerized cargo a year - a significant percentage 
destined for U.S. markets. 
2. (SBU)  In a recent conversation, Port of Halifax Vice 
President for Operations and Security George Malec and 
newly-hired manager of Marine Security Gord Helm, discussed 
current and ongoing efforts to enhance security at the Port of 
Halifax.  All efforts are being funded out of the Port's own 
operating budget.  The Port has met IMO ISPS Code requirements 
and is currently undergoing certification by Transport Canada 
for the more stringent Canadian Marine Transportation Security 
Act - on a par with U.S. standards under the Marine 
Transportation Security Act. 
3. (SBU) Passenger:  The passenger (cruise ship) facilities of 
the Port are fenced off with camera surveillance.  To enter or 
exit the secure area alongside cruise ships, passengers must 
present both id cards and boarding passes.  Trucks with 
provisions are now prohibited from pulling up alongside ships. 
There is also a 24-hour police presence of at least two 
officers.  Malec described this situation as unique for a 
Canadian port.  Other ports, he stated, rely on PILT (policing 
in lieu of taxation), which provides no-charge police protection 
on an-on-call, as-available basis.  Halifax, on the other hand, 
pays for a constant police presence and, as they are police, 
allows for armed officers who can respond with deadly force if 
needed. 
4.  (SBU) Container:  Halifax Port also pays for a constant 
police presence at its two cargo terminals.  No containers are 
allowed to leave the facilities without the papers being checked 
by an officer.  (This procedure was implemented following the 
disappearance of a targeted cargo container this past summer.) 
In addition, the Port is in discussions with Transport Canada - 
its supervisory body - over its plan to acquire radiation ion 
detection units for each of the cargo terminal piers.  The goal 
is that, once implemented. no container will leave the port 
without being scanned. 
5. (SBU) General: The Port has purchased an all-weather patrol 
boat, which has been turned over to the police for use.  The 
boat is identical to boats used by DND, to provide for 
interoperability.  The police are already manning the boat and 
undergoing final marine certifications.  Both Malec and Marine 
Security Director Helm described cooperation between the port, 
coast guard, and navy as excellent.  Helm, a former naval 
officer, is in the process of drafting an operations and safety 
plan for the harbor, to further enhance the cooperation. 
Looking forward, they discussed the soon-to-begin process of 
security clearances for all port employees.  Background checks 
will be conducted by CSIS and the information forwarded by 
Transport Canada to Port authorities for clearance decisions. 
6. (SBU) Malec, in particular, stressed the level of cooperation 
between the Port and stateside authorities.  Malec himself spent 
a large part of the past summer in visits with officials from 
the U.S. Coast Guard and the ports in New York, Boston, and 
Baltimore.  Malec spoke with approval of the recently-formed 
Nova Scotia association of small ports, (Sydney, Pictou, 
Parrsboro, Sheet Harbor, Shelburne, and Yarmouth) saying Halifax 
would be happy to consult and provide advice, but could offer no 
funding. Port security in Nova Scotia, he said, is only as 
strong as the weakest of the various ports' security. 
HILL