QUITE THE SECURITY RISK Quick fix needed

Posted on 01/04/2016

The federal public safety minister says he'll investigate the case of a six-year-old Ontario boy whose name appears to be on a travel security risk list.

Ralph Goodale's involvement in the matter comes after the boy's father tweeted a photo from Toronto's Pearson International Airport last week that appears to show his son's name, Syed Adam Ahmed, with a “DHP’ or “deemed high profile'” label and instructions on how to proceed before allowing the boy to check in. The father wrote, “Why is our (Canadian born) 6 year old on DHP no fly list? He must clear security each time. He is 6.” His question was directed at Air Canada, the airline father and son were flying on Dec. 31 for their trip to the NHL Winter Classic in Boston.

The boy's mother said the family has had to deal with the issue in the past. She says they've never been able to check their son in for flights online, and he needs special clearance every time they go to the airport “I’m just afraid that as my son gets older, the security checks are going to escalate,” his mother Khadija Cajee said. “He’s going to have to deal with being in the light of suspicion for the rest of his life.

“It’s the reason we want to get this resolved soon,” she said.