The Fine Line Between Security and Needless Hassle

In case you missed yesterday's papers, the city is currently talking with Transport Canada to try and come to an understanding about new security measures that could affect the operation of Toronto's ferries. New post-9/11 regulations mean that passengers will be required to pass through metal-detectors and board the ferries single-file. I don't think it's anything worth being too alarmed about - both articles suggest the talks aren't at a Toronto Port Authority-level of confrontation - but I hope that more reasonable heads prevail. For those of us who don't live on the islands, the 2 km ride is only a few-times-a-year opportunity, and I don't think airport-level security measures are really necessary. I appreciate the need to maintain a heightened sense of awareness in this day and age, but these measures make accessing the islands not only difficult, but stressful and unpleasant - the exact opposite of what waterfront revitalization aims to achieve.

Image by Metrix X from the blogTO flickr pool.