Saskatchewan's busiest port of entry continues to serve an impressive volume of travellers through the gates at North Portal.
Canada Border Services Agency officials recorded 27,520 travellers in 8,460 cars and light vehicles, and 9,830 commercial trucks passed through there in the month of October.
A total of 77 people were refused entry into Canada when they reported in at North Portal, with 50 of them being refused due to previous criminal records.
CBSA officials issued 121 work permits in October along with four study permits and granted permanent resident status to 461 people.
There were also 34 seizure actions taken in October that resulted in $37,600 being assessed in the form of penalties for travellers who either undervalued or did not declare goods being brought into Canada through this Saskatchewan port.
Some of those activities included an Oct. 4 seizure of undeclared prohibited rifle magazines from a South Carolina resident who was attempting to enter Canada on his way to Alaska. The man paid a $500 penalty.
On Oct. 5, two Canadians returning from the United States declared two horses plus some goods with a total value of $8,500 but failed to declare an additional $1,605 in additional items. They ended up paying a penalty of over $386 instead of the $80 they would have been charged if they had simply declared the items in question.
A Canadian resident who improperly declared a $4,000 car at $2,000 ended up paying a $1,100 penalty instead of the $100 in GST that he would have paid if he had properly declared the value of the vehicle at the beginning of the inspection.
On Oct. 7, a 31-year-old commercial driver from Arkansas who was attempting to deliver a load to an Alberta site was refused entry due to seven previous convictions that included fraud, theft, arson with intent to defraud an insurance company, and breaking and entering. He was returned to the U.S.
A loaded handgun was seized from a U.S. resident who was attempting to enter Canada at North Portal, en route to Alaska. CBSA officers also found two prohibited handgun magazines. The man paid a $1,500 penalty and was refused entry into Canada.
On Oct. 14, two snowmobiles and two snowmobile trailers were being imported into Canada with a declared value of $15,800. CBSA officers detected a false bill-of-sale and noted the value of the vehicles and trailers was actually $19,500. This resulted in a $2,000 penalty having to be paid before they could reclaim the snowmobiles and trailers. A correct declaration would have led to a payment of $975.
On Oct. 16, a person entering Canada declared a purebred puppy as having been purchased for $50 when, in actuality, they had paid $1,250 for the young pooch. CBSA officers also discovered a further $350 in undeclared goods in the vehicle. The importers paid a penalty of $538 rather than the $80 they would have paid if they had followed the rules.
A $5,650 penalty was assessed against a vehicle importer who attempted to bring a vehicle into Canada on Oct. 18. The $30,000 vehicle had been undervalued by $10,000. The GST that would have been added if the value had been declared correctly, would have been $500.
On Oct. 19, a 35-year-old Missouri resident sought entry into Canada to hunt in central Saskatchewan. The background checks, however, indicated the man had two felony convictions, and he had hunting violations in his past in the United States, and his driver's licence in the U.S. had been suspended due to his failure to appear in court.
The man was refused entry into Canada and a co-traveller was directed to drive the vehicle back into the U.S. But two days later the same man appeared back at North Portal at the port of entry stating the only charges and convictions he had against him were for the hunting misdeeds and felt those should not render him inadmissible to Canada. Further questioning revealed that he was, indeed, aware of other convictions and he was, once again, refused entry into Canada.
On Oct. 20 a 41-year-old man was examined and the process revealed images of suspected child pornography on a USB key. The subject was arrested and the the USB key, laptop and external hard drive were seized and members of the Intenet Child Exploitation unit attended the scene and laid charges against the individual.
Another traveller, a 41-year-old commercial driver, was examined, and suspected child pornography was found in his possession. He was attempting to deliver goods from Michigan into northern Alberta. He was arrested and charged by the RCMP.
A Canadian resident importing a truck and trailer on Oct. 23 falsely declared the truck at a value of $6,000 and the trailer at $11,000 when in fact the truck was valued at $11,000. This resulted in a penalty of over $2,800 as opposed to $250 in GST that would have been paid with a correct evaluation declared.
A 53-year-old commercial driver from Texas was refused entry into Canada due to previous convictions of aggravated assault against a police officer, robbery with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. He was returned to the U.S.
A falsely declared vehicle resulted in a $6,800 penalty being invoked against a Canadian resident who was returning on Oct. 25 while declaring he had purchased his vehicle for $4,500 when, in reality, he had actually paid $16,500 for it.
Another traveller on Oct. 25, a 52-year-old commercial driver from Indiana sought entry to pilot a commercial load for an Alberta-based company. She stated she would also be attending a job interview while in Canada, but she was not in possession of documents that would enable her to get a work permit if she was successful in the job interview. Further background checks revealed previous convictions of forgery, two vehicle thefts, escape from custody, failure to appear in court, shoplifting and domestic violence. She was deemed inadmissible to Canada and returned to the U.S.
At the Estevan Highway port of entry, there were other similar incidents to record during the month of October, including an Oct. 6 incident that prevented a 36-year-old Mississippi resident from entering Canada to visit in Estevan. It was determined the man had been convicted of two aggravated assaults, robbery, burglary and simple assault. He also admitted to having had an impaired driving charged laid against him in the past and it was pending a court appearance. He was denied entry.
A 45-year-old South Carolina resident attempting to enter into Saskatchewan to visit in Regina was denied entry after it was discovered he had been convicted on two counts of indecent exposure, being an accessory to armed robbery and having a DUI and driving while suspended.
On Oct. 20, a 66-year-old Minnesota man arrived at the Estevan Highway port and denied he had any arrests or convictions on his record. But CBSA background checks found he had been charged with trespassing and fleeing police. Further information showed he had also been charged with theft, possession and sale of stolen or counterfeit cheques, obstructing a legal process, fleeing police a second time plus two counts of damaging property, two trespassing incidents and six charges of false imprisonment, kidnapping and escape while in custody.
He was found inadmissible to Canada due to the impending charges against him outside of Canada and for being unable to produce documents that would satisfy a CBSA officer that no other convictions existed according to his statements and for failing to respond to questions truthfully. He returned to the U.S.
A 49-year-old Nebraska man attempting to visit in Estevan was denied entry after initially admitting only to a conviction for receiving stolen property. The extended investigation revealed he had actually been convicted of robbery, and domestic violence twice. Further checks revealed he was a multi-state offender and had charges laid against him for possession of a controlled substance, stealing, tampering with a motor vehicle and airplane, assaulting a police officer and battery. He was refused entry.
At the Northgate port of entry, a Canadian resident returning home on Oct. 12 was found with 54 undeclared items bearing a value of just under $1,100. The items were seized and only returned to the traveller after a penalty of $274.30 was paid.
At the Oungre port of entry that same day, two U.S. residents arrived at the port saying they were delivering a horse to a Canadian resident for a purchase price of $2,500. Further examination revealed the actual price was $4,500.
On Oct. 21, a Canadian resident returning home declared purchases of just under $800 following a 48-hour absence from Canada. An examination of the vehicle led to the discovery of an additional $2,056 in undeclared goods, some of them concealed under the trunk floor and in the vehicle's quarter panels.
Travellers returning to Canada following the American Black Friday are reminded they may be able to minimize wait times at the border by perhaps showing up during non-peak times, which are usually late afternoons and evenings. You may stay updated on wait times at the North Portal entry point by subscribing to Border Wait Times on Twitter.
CBSA officers advise you to have all your receipts ready and to be prepared to make an accurate and efficient declaration to officers. If you are uncertain as to what to declare, do not hesitate to ask the officer who will be there to help you through the process.
