Canada Looks to Boost Security on Mass Transit After Slaying

"Transport Canada says changes aimed at improving security on intercity buses might be coming in the wake of Wednesday's grisly slaying aboard a Greyhound coach near Portage la Prairie, Man.

Greyhound Canada received $285,000 from the federal Transit-Secure program in April 2007 to develop a risk assessment and a security plan, said Maryse Durette, a Transport Canada spokeswoman. The plan will be modelled on a federal code of practice for security in the surface transport industry, which is not yet public, Durette said.

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security approved $10 million for an intercity bus-security grant program, under which bus companies may get funds for changing vehicles to better protect the driver and passenger. The program could also include baggage-screening programs aimed at preventing bombs, and biological or radiological devices.

Winnipeg NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis and Liberal public safety critic Ujjal Dosanjh both said Wednesday's slaying is an eye-opener about safety on mass transit systems in Canada.

'It is a wake-up call to the issue of security on mass transit,' said Wasylycia-Leis. 'This incident sounds like a rare incident, but it raises a lot of questions about the broader issue and makes you realize there are no checks in place on buses.'