SOUTHEAST SASK – The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Prairie Region released operational and enforcement highlights for 2021 from January to the end of October, with local points of entry keeping officers busy with a variety of crossing issues.
While traveller volumes were again lower in 2021 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, officers in the Prairie Region still processed approximately 486,087 commercial trucks, and 8,937,373 courier shipments, as well as 1,040,075 travellers. From January 1 to October 31, the region also released 2,546,040 commercial shipments.
In August, CBSA officers at the North Portal port of entry were conducting a routine examination of a U.S. traveller who was in-transit to Alaska when they found four handguns, two prohibited assault-style rifles, three non-restricted long guns, and 40 prohibited magazines in the traveller’s truck. BSOs arrested the traveller, returning only the non-restricted guns, and issued $7,000 in penalties before allowing the traveller to return to the U.S.
Also in October, officers at the North Portal port of entry conducted an offload examination of a semi-truck trailer. Their search uncovered 220 knives and 22 brass knuckles that are classified as prohibited in Canada. As these items were not properly declared, they were seized with no terms of release.
Officers at the North Portal port of entry were processing a Canadian resident who was returning from the U.S. with a horse in April.
The traveller was not truthful about the horse’s origins, then showed a false receipt with a much lower value than was paid. These actions resulted in the traveller paying $17,350 in penalties when they would have only paid about $800 in GST if the traveller had provided a truthful declaration from the start.
In February at the Northgate port of entry, a U.S. traveller sought entry for tourism despite COVID-19 restrictions in place, and was arrested when BSOs found two undeclared handguns in a duffle bag.
Database checks revealed the traveller also had a previous conviction, making the traveller ineligible to enter Canada. The traveller paid a penalty for failing to declare the guns and returned to the U.S. without them.
In April, the Prairie Region Border Information Service reached the significant milestone of providing service to one million callers and responding to over 76,000 ‘Contact Us’ emails since the implementation of COVID-19 border measures in March 2020.
The Prairie Region is home to 34 land ports of entry, four marine reporting sites, and 26 airports. The Region consists of four districts (Central Alberta District; Southern Alberta and Southern Saskatchewan District; Central Manitoba, Central Saskatchewan, and Northwest Territories District; and Southern Manitoba District) and three divisions (Intelligence and Enforcement Operations, Trade Operations, and Corporate, Programs and Integration Management).
