The applicant, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), brought an application to quash a General Warrant and Assistance Order that authorized the Ontario Provincial Police to randomly search passenger baggage at the Thunder Bay International Airport for evidence of drug trafficking and money laundering over a 30-day period.
The Assistance Order compelled CATSA employees to notify police if they discovered controlled substances or large sums of currency during routine security screening.
The Superior Court of Justice granted the application and struck out the orders.
The court held that while CATSA lacked standing to raise a section 8 Charter challenge, the General Warrant was invalid under section 487.01 of the Criminal Code because it lacked specificity and reasonable grounds, amounting to an unauthorized fishing expedition.
Consequently, the Assistance Order issued under section 487.02 could not stand.
