News Release

Prosecutions and Seizures

Pigeon River port of entry monthly enforcement highlights

Pigeon River, Ontario, April 9, 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 February 2013, CBSA officers at the Pigeon River port of entry (POE) processed 36,229 travellers in 17,482 vehicles, representing a 0.9% decrease in travellers and a 1.4% decrease in vehicle traffic compared to the same period last year. Officers also processed 703 commercial drivers.

Immigration Highlights

In February, CBSA officers at the Pigeon River POE issued 11 immigration documents (such as work permits, study permits and temporary resident permits) and three individuals were given the option to voluntarily withdraw their applications to enter Canada for various admissibility issues.

On February 11, a U.S. resident arrived at the Pigeon River POE seeking temporary entry. The individual was known to officers from previous refusals into Canada for having been convicted multiple times for Disorderly Conduct and physical assault against a female. The individual was referred for further examination and requested the issuance of a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP). The officer explained that due to the nature of the convictions, there were insufficient grounds to justify the issuance of a TRP. In addition, the traveller had repeatedly attempted to enter Canada after having been counselled on how to obtain rehabilitation. The officer allowed the traveller to withdraw his application to enter Canada and the individual returned to the United States.

Customs Highlights

During the month of February, CBSA officers conducted 1,247 secondary examinations for customs purposes or on behalf of other government departments, initiated five seizure actions for various offences and issued 10 written warnings for undeclared or improperly reported goods.

On February 6, a Canadian resident arrived at the POE and declared products of animal origin from the United States. The examining officer referred her for further customs processing.

She produced a receipt showing that she had paid $121.98 to the shipper for postage costs and stated she only had to pay this amount for the goods. The officer examined the goods and the shipper's Web site and found that the cost of the products varied, and that the goods that the traveller had in her possession had an estimated value of US$1,600.

The traveller then produced a second receipt showing that she had in fact paid an amount equal to $925.09 for the products. The officer informed the traveller that the goods were seized for the allegation of undervaluation. The goods were returned to her upon payment of terms of release totaling $277.52. Had the traveller properly declared the goods in the first place, she would only have paid $120.26 in taxes.

Travel Tips

The CBSA reminds travellers to truthfully declare all purchases when returning to Canada and to be mindful of the following personal exemptions: after an absence of 24 hours, you may bring back $200 worth of goods duty- and tax-free; however, after a 24-hour absence, if the value of the goods you have purchased abroad exceeds $200, duty and taxes are applicable on the entire amount of the imported goods. After 48 hours, your personal exemption is $800. There are no personal exemptions for same-day purchases.

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

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For media information
Caroline Desjarlais
CBSA Communications
Tel: 613-991-1591

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