A body scanner like this has been installed in Winnipeg's James Richardson International Airport. (Canadian Air Transport Security Authority)Some passengers at Winnipeg's airport are now subjected to a new security measure — a full body scanner.

The scanner went live at the James A. Richardson International Airport on Saturday, according to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA).

Only passengers bound for destinations in the United States are required to go through the scanner and only if they are selected for a secondary security screening, said CATSA spokesperson Mathieu Larocque.

The machines, which can scan through clothing, have also been installed in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

The federal government announced in January that body scanners would be put in place to comply with new U.S. security protocols.

The system, tested over the last year in British Columbia at the Kelowna Airport, allows a screening officer to see whether someone is carrying plastic explosives or other dangerous items.

Currently, there are 13 scanners in the eight major Canadian airports but more are on order and a total of 44 will eventually be in operation.

There is just one in Winnipeg. Whether the city will get more has not yet been decided, Larocque said.

Security personnel using the scanners will see images like these when passengers pass through the scanners. (CBC)Each scanner is valued at $250,000, he noted.

The plan to use the technology stirred controversy because the scanner produces a three-dimensional outline of a person's naked body.

However, CATSA worked closely with Canada's privacy commissioner to address passenger concerns, Larocque said.

"The screening officers that are looking at the image created by the full body scanners are not in the same room and they cannot identify the passengers," he said.

"The images that are created don't come with any personal identifications of any kind. And the images are also immediately deleted once the passenger has been cleared."

As well, passengers can refuse the scanner and choose instead to be patted down by a security officer.