Prosecutions and Seizures

Northern Ontario Region

Pigeon River Port of Entry monthly enforcement highlights

Pigeon River, Ontario, January 16, 2013 —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 November 2012, CBSA officers at the Pigeon River port of entry (POE) processed 39,548 travellers in 19,117 vehicles, representing a 4.1 percent increase in both travellers and vehicle traffic compared to November 2011. In addition, officers processed 568 commercial drivers.

Immigration highlights

In November, CBSA officers conducted 334 immigration examinations. As a result of the examinations, officers issued immigration documents (such as work permits, study permits and temporary resident permits) to 11 individuals, and gave eight individuals the option to voluntarily withdraw their application to enter Canada due to criminality or other admissibility issues.

On November 2, a U.S. resident arrived at the POE seeking temporary entry. The individual was referred to immigration for a secondary examination to verify his admissibility. During the examination, the CBSA determined that the traveller had been convicted multiple times of disorderly conduct and receiving stolen property in the United States. The traveller was deemed inadmissible to Canada due to his criminality and was counselled to apply for individual rehabilitation at a Canadian Consulate in the United States prior to his next planned visit to Canada. He returned to the United States without incident.

Customs highlights

During the month of November, CBSA officers conducted 1,407 secondary examinations for customs purposes or on behalf of other government departments, initiated nine seizure actions for various offences, and issued an additional 21 written warnings for undeclared or improperly reported goods.

On November 15, a returning Canadian resident declared the purchase of a fishing boat as US$7,050. The traveller was referred for further processing, where he presented a receipt for the boat. After the traveller paid the taxes for his declared purchases, a CBSA officer conducted an examination to verify the declared value of the boat. The officer found an advertisement for the same boat which showed a discrepancy between the amount declared by the traveller and the advertised price. The traveller then admitted that he had actually paid US$16,250 for the boat. The boat was seized for the offence of undervaluation and was released upon payment of terms of release in the amount of $3,305.94. Had the true value been declared, the traveller would have paid approximately $1,986.07 in additional taxes at the border.

Travel Tips

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.

All firearms and weapons must be declared to a border services officer when you enter Canada. Failure to do so could result in them being seized, and you may face criminal charges.

Certain foreign nationals who do not meet the requirements to overcome their criminal inadmissibility may 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.

Anyone with information about suspicious cross-border activity is encouraged to call the CBSA Border Watch toll-free line at 1-888-502-9060.

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