In the final month of 2013, Saskatchewan's busiest land port-of-entry between the United States and Canada at North Portal processed 20,150 travellers who were entering Canada at the Saskatchewan border point. They arrived in 6,163 cars and 8,430 commercial trucks.
Of those travellers, 32 were denied entry, including 17 who were turned back due to previous criminal records.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued 55 work permits at North Portal in December, seven study permits and granted permanent resident status to 225 people.
The CBSA officers also made 19 seizures of goods or weapons that resulted in $3,500 in penalties for travellers who either undervalued or did not declare the items.
There were thousands of other travellers who gained entry or were denied entry at nearby ports such as the Estevan Highway, Torquay, Northgate and Oungre.
Some of the highlight activities at the North Portal crossing included a Dec. 1 episode with a 28-year-old foreign national living in Saskatchewan who arrived at the port for a work permit as a farm labourer. CBSA officers determined he had been in Canada without status and had been working without authorization for several months. The man did not meet the requirements of the position he was applying for, so he was issued a one-year exclusion order and was removed from Canada.
On Dec. 4, a 25-year-old man travelling to Alberta to visit his girlfriend was denied entry when it was determined he had two convictions for reckless driving. CBSA officers advised him about the procedures he needed to take to obtain proper documentation that would allow him to enter Canada in the future.
On Dec. 8, a man arrived at the North Portal port with six horses that he declared had a value of $7,000 plus another US$800 in personal goods. CBSA officers, however, uncovered four undeclared tires with a total value of $540 underneath hay bales in the horse trailer. The man also admitted to not declaring auto repairs and another six tires worth $1,030 that were mounted on the pickup truck. He was penalized $400. If he had made a proper declaration, he would have paid $80 in taxes.
On Dec. 10, a 34-year-old man on his way to visit his Canadian girlfriend admitted to CBSA officers he had been convicted of rioting, violating a protection order and a probation order. The officers also discovered a false representation conviction and advised the man about his inadmissibility into Canada. He voluntarily returned to the United States.
Two truck drivers from North Carolina and Texas arrived at the North Portal port on Dec. 15. The two stated they were travelling together to deliver vehicles to Canada. Background checks revealed the North Carolina resident had been convicted of delivering and dealing in cocaine and for possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and also had an impaired driving charge. The Texas-based man admitted to previous charges of assault with intent to cause injury, street fighting and interfering with a child in lawful custody. Both were refused entry into Canada, and alternate drivers were used to deliver the vehicles.
On Dec. 17, a 21-year-old Texas man stated he was coming into Canada to meet his 17-year-old girlfriend for the first time. CBSA officers determined the young girl's parents were unaware of this impending visit and found evidence that suggested the man planned to take the girl back into the United States. CBSA officers denied him entry and notified the RCMP of the situation.
On Dec. 22, a 48-year-old woman who was headed to Calgary was denied entry after it was revealed she had convictions for trespassing and theft. The officers advised her how to obtain a court disposition to overcome her inadmissibility status. She then returned to the U.S.
On Dec. 27, CBSA officers conducted a routine examination of a pickup truck and uncovered an undeclared vehicle injector kit and core charge with a combined value of more than $2,900. The owner paid an $875 penalty rather than the $150 in taxes he would have paid if he had declared the items.
On Dec. 30, a North Dakota man arrived at the Canadian border and declared he had never been denied entry into Canada before and was not carrying any prohibited weapons. When his vehicle and declarations were checked, however, it was determined he had been refused entry previously because of criminal activity, and a search of his vehicle revealed a can of pepper spray and a prohibited weapon. He was penalized $500 and returned to the U.S.
At the other ports of entry in Saskatchewan, there were several other incidents that were recorded for reportage during the month of December.
At the Northgate Port, CBSA officers seized more than $2,200 in undeclared building materials when the importer failed to declare the goods, citing that because they were made in the United States, they were duty free and that meant he did not have to declare them. The CBSA officials explained that all goods acquired outside Canada must be declared, and the man was issued a $550 penalty rather than the $110 in GST he would have paid had he followed the proper procedure.
At the Estevan Highway Port on Dec. 1, a 35-year-old North Dakota resident travelling to Estevan was denied entry due to two previous convictions for trafficking cocaine as well as deadly conduct and driving while impaired.
Two other men were denied entry into Canada on Dec. 23 and 25. The first was a 45-year-old man who wanted to go to Estevan to shop for Christmas gifts. A previous conviction for assault by battery on a child made him inadmissible. He was advised how to apply for rehabilitation status that might enable him to enter at another time. He then returned to the United States.
The second event involved a 43-year-old man who said he wanted to go to Estevan for lunch and to see some moose. A serious criminal conviction on his background records along with charges of damage to property and fraud, made him inadmissible. The subject was allowed to leave the Canadian port to return to the U.S.
