No potatoes, just guns

Doubting Thomas -

A Nova Scotia man crossed the gulf last week - allegedly with a vehicle full of weapons and a plan to shoot police in Corner Brook.

While other media outlets were showing of pictures of the seized weapons, one important question was left unasked: how could someone make it though Marine Atlantic's new security measures with a small arsenal in his trunk?

It was a question I decided to ask the Crown corporation myself, although nobody at Marine Atlantic returned my call.

Which leaves me wondering: could this whole thing have been nipped in the bud if the province of Newfoundland and Labrador took a tougher stance on potatoes?

For years we've been happily allowing tourists and residents with dirty potatoes in their vehicle's trunk to just sail across the gulf and into our fair province.

Horrible, isn't it?

Who knows what sorts of bacteria are lurking in the dirt on those tubers, just waiting to infect our population and lay waste to our agriculture industry.

Of course, the mainland will have none of it. That's why you or I can't get across to North Sydney without facing the agents of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

They're the folks at the terminal who ask if you have any potatoes in your trunk. They even have the authority to take a peek, and they often do, even if you're polite enough to tell them that no, you don't have any of our island's superior, locally grown potatoes.

One can just imagine what might have happened if the suspect had to face such scrutiny when he arrived in North Sydney to board the boat.

"Good evening, sir. Do you have any potatoes or other plants in your vehicle."

"No, sir. Just guns and booze."

"Do you mind if I have a look in the trunk?"

But no, it seems he only had to produce photo ID and wasn't subjected to random screening. The ID was not checked against any legal data that would have shown he had signed an undertaking to remain in Nova Scotia due to pending charges against him.

Were it not for a passenger on the ferry who called police to warn them that a man was allegedly making threats, he might have made it to Corner Brook.

Thank goodness this citizen made that call, and thank a higher power no one was out to get ferry employees and passengers.

reporter@gulfnews.ca