Prosecutions and Seizures

Northern Ontario Region

Fort Frances port of entry monthly enforcement highlights

Fort Frances, Ontario, May 2, 2012 — The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) facilitates the entry of legitimate travellers and goods, while protecting the safety and security of Canadians and ensuring that Canada's borders are not used for illegal activity. This work is carried out by CBSA border services officers (BSOs) who ensure that the people, goods and conveyances entering Canada meet all requirements and are compliant with Canadian law.

In March 2012, CBSA officers at the Fort Frances port of entry (POE) processed 53,703 travellers in 29,478 vehicles, which represent a 7.5 percent increase in travellers and a 1.03 percent decrease in vehicles compared to March 2011. Twenty-six charter buses carrying 557 passengers, 650 commercial trucks, and 910 pedestrians were processed during the month.

Immigration

Officers at the Fort Frances POE conducted more than 730 immigration interviews resulting in the issuance of 15 work permits, five visitor records and 64 Remote Area Border Crossing permits. Twenty people were found to have various admissibility issues, 11 of which were given the option of voluntarily withdrawing their application to enter Canada and were allowed to leave. The other nine were allowed entry on temporary visitor permits.

On March 22, a U.S. resident arrived at the port of Fort Frances and stated his intention to reside in Canada. During the subsequent examination, the individual exhibited signs of aggression, did not demonstrate the financial means to support himself and did not have the required residency documentation; he was given the option of voluntarily withdrawing his application to enter Canada and was allowed to leave. He was escorted back to the United States.

Customs

During the month of March, CBSA officers at the Fort Frances POE conducted over 1,100 secondary examinations for customs purposes, initiated three seizure actions and issued an additional 10 written warnings for non-declared or undervalued goods.

On March 3, five U.S. residents inadvertently arrived at the Fort Frances POE after following incorrect Global Positioning System directions to their destination in Minnesota. An examination of their vehicle resulted in the seizure of 1.3g of marihuana, seven cases of beer, and a 1.75L bottle of rum. The individuals were arrested for smuggling, but were released upon completion of the seizure action and returned to the U.S.

On March 15, a Canadian resident arrived at the Fort Frances POE driving a U.S.-plated rental vehicle. This individual was planning on driving to Thunder Bay, Ontario, and dropping the car off at the airport. As he was a resident of Canada, he was advised that he was not allowed to drive a non-duty paid vehicle and leave it in Canada, and was instructed to return the vehicle to the U.S. The individual started driving back towards the U.S. but instead of continuing onto the international bridge, he turned off the road and proceeded into Canada. The Ontario Provincial Police was able to locate the individual and return him to the POE where he was arrested for running the port. After processing, the individual was released and the case was referred to CBSA for further investigation.

Travel Tips

After an absence of 24 hours, you may bring back $50 worth of goods duty- and tax-free; after 48 hours, your personal exemption is $400; and after an absence of seven days, you are entitled to $750 worth of duty- and tax-free goods. There are no personal exemptions for same-day purchases.

Reminder: The following personal exemption changes will take effect on June 1, 2012: After an absence of 24 hours, you may bring back $200 worth of goods duty- and tax-free; after 48 hours, your personal exemption will be $800. There will be no exemptions for same day travel.

The CBSA reminds travellers to truthfully declare all purchases and goods received outside of Canada upon their return. Smuggling, undervaluation and other Customs Act offences may lead to seizure and/or prosecution in a court of law. The CBSA keeps a record of infractions in its computer system. If you have an infraction record, you may have to undergo a more detailed examination on future trips. 

In addition, new regulations are now in place to facilitate the entry of certain foreign nationals who do not meet the requirements to overcome their criminal inadmissibility to be allowed to enter Canada with a one-time only, fee-exempt temporary resident permit. For more information, please visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Web site.

Please refer to the I Declare brochure on the CBSA Web site for more information.

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For media information
Caroline Desjarlais
Communications
Canada Border Services Agency
613-991-1591