The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Prairie Region has released operational and enforcement highlights that demonstrate how CBSA employees throughout the region have worked to safeguard communities while supporting the economy during these unprecedented times.
The 2020 operational and enforcement highlights cover Jan. 1 to Oct. 30.
The CBSA established a regional firearms working group to concentrate its efforts on keeping illegal guns off Prairie streets. Undeclared firearms and weapons are high-risk commodities and their interdiction is a CBSA enforcement priority.
At the North Portal port of entry, Detector Dog Chase assisted officers in intercepting 11 handguns, one restricted rifle, three silencers and five prohibited magazines on Feb. 22. Two travellers face charges in connection with this incident. Over the summer, officers seized another 18 firearms
At the Oungre port of entry, officers arrested a traveller after discovering child pornography on his electronic devices on Jan. 31. The individual was turned over to the Weyburn Royal Canadian Mounted Police and charged by the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
Among the other highlights was Edmonton named as a Western Conference teams hub city for the NHL return-to-play in July, the CBSA executed a multi-agency plan for clearing the flights. NHL players and personnel began arriving to Edmonton in July and the CBSA’s team in Edmonton worked diligently to ensure a seamless border clearance process was provided for all involved.
“2020 has been a year of change, but what has not changed is the Canada Border Services Agency’s commitment to Canada’s safety and prosperity. Prairie Region employees remain diligent in their efforts to intercept high-risk commodities, screen individuals seeking entry, and facilitate the flow of essential goods during the pandemic,” said Brad Wozny, regional director general for the Prairie Region of the Canada Border Services Agency
While traveller volumes were low due to international travel restrictions, CBSA officers in the Prairie Region still processed 440,098 commercial trucks, 414,000 air shipments and 5,879,726 courier shipments from January to October.
Over the same time period, CBSA officers in the Prairie Region processed 2,076,116 travellers.
CBSA officers in the Prairie Region issued approximately $395,925 in administrative monetary penalties to commercial importers who violated trade and border legislation.
The agency is working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 into Canada at all international ports of entry. PHAC is responsible for advising the CBSA of any required enhanced measures to be implemented at the Canadian border to help prevent the spread of serious infectious diseases into Canada.
All travellers (asymptomatic and symptomatic) are required to provide their contact information using the Traveller Contact Information Form (paper or online), the ArriveCAN mobile application, or to a border services officer verbally (land mode only) and follow the 14-day quarantine or isolation requirement. All information collected in the Traveller Contact Information Form is provided to PHAC.
