Airports, Coastlines & Borders

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A Secure Canada Starts with You

Canada has hundreds of small or private airfields and a border stretching nearly 9,000 kilometres. Our coastline measures 243,000 kilometres – the longest in the world – and includes the Atlantic, Pacific, Northwest Passage, Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and Hudson Bay.

You can make a difference and help keep our communities safe. If you SEE or HEAR something suspicious around an airport/airstrip, the border, or one of our coastlines, REPORT IT!

If you notice suspicious behaviour, take note of details, such as:

• Time, date and location of occurrence (GPS co-ordinates if available)
• Nature of activities you observed
• Descriptions of individuals, vehicles, vessels or aircraft:
  • licence number, vessel identification number, aircraft tail number
  • registration details or any visible markings

We value your knowledge, common sense and familiarity with your area and are counting on you to help. If something seems odd or out of the ordinary, let authorities know and do your part to help keep our communities safe.

Airports/Airstrips

Examples of suspicious activities at local airports/airstrips:

• Aircraft landing at secluded airstrips after normal operating hours
• Aircraft landing, flying, or taking off without proper lighting
• Aircraft that have been modified to carry extra weight
• Aircraft that have altered or covered registration numbers:
  • “CF” and “CG” indicate Canadian;
  • “N” indicates U.S
• Aircraft windows covered with tape or paper
• Items being dropped from an aircraft
• Holes in perimeter fencing

Inside the Aircraft:

• Evidence of packaging materials;
  • burlap, plastic wrap, duct tape, hockey bags, etc
• Presence of unusually strong odours, such as coffee, cleaners or perfume that could be used to mask odours from illicit cargo
• Seats removed from the aircraft for extra freight or fuel capacity

Coastlines

Examples of suspicious activities along our coastline:

Environment

• Dark or discolored patches of water could indicate a sunken vessel or an illegal discharge from a vessel
• An abundance of dead fish or sea birds in one area may indicate a toxic spill
• Floating or beached oil drums, gas canisters or other used containers

Ships/Marinas/Small Vessels

• Absence of identifying markings:
  • vessel name, home port registration
• Pumping bilge into the ocean, lake, or river
• Ship name is affixed on a removable device
• Unusual itinerary that differs from fishing schedules or other normal activities
• Vessels that appear to be purposely avoiding other vessels by changing direction of travel
• Absence of navigation/running lights
• Smaller vessels hovering in vicinity of another suspicious ship

Borders

Examples of suspicious activities along the border:

• Unusual activity on roads or trails that have access to the border
  • Cars, trucks, ATVs, motorcycles, taxis, vehicles with an out of province licence, and/or rental vehicles
• Groups or individuals with sophisticated radio equipment, such as scanners or portable VHF radios
• Groups or individuals who are dressed improperly for the weather or terrain
• Suspicious groups or individuals seeking directions or rides to and from the border
• Evidence of an individual(s) having trespassed on your property near the border
  • Footprints, garbage, clothing, etc.

TO REPORT AN EMERGENCY:

Call 911 or call your local police

To report a crime or suspicious behaviour, call your local police or call: