Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Windsor Star

February 17, 2011

To the Editor:

As the Vice-President of Operations with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), I would like to respond to your articles over the past two weeks regarding the amalgamation of two CBSA regions in southern Ontario.

I am concerned about the inaccurate information that has been reported and I would like to set the record straight.

To start, this amalgamation is not new as it was announced last summer to stakeholders and staff as part of the CBSA’s Strategic Review, which is a government-wide initiative. 

It’s important to understand that the 18 positions affected does not mean that 18 people in the City of Windsor lose their jobs. Out of the 1,700 employees in both our current southern Ontario regions, it means that we have identified 18 positions – in both regions - where efficiencies in our administrative operations could be improved.  Every effort is being made to ensure that those affected employees remain employed.  

I would also like to clarify that none of these positions involve our front-line officers nor do they impact border security in any way.  Border security is what the CBSA does and we do it well. We will continue to ensure the security of the Canadian border in an efficient, cost-effective manner as expected by Canadian taxpayers.

Pierre Sabourin
Vice-President, Operations Branch
Canada Border Services Agency