CBSA arming

[portcullisguy]

Yep, and I got snotty comments from the staff there when i pointed this out, plus to add insult to injury, Air Canada charges you $65 each way to mishandle your firearm. They lost mine on the way to Ft Nelson, but manged to find it when I threatened to put in a police report, apparently the $65 charge is to cover the "extra costs of handling a firearm" having watched the whole sequence at Smithers, it involves me filling out a form while they throw it in with the rest of the luggage. I hate air Canada and avoid it like the plague.

At Pearson, we have been pushing for the airlines to deliver the firearms to the passengers in the customs secondary area, under our supervision.  This is already done with a number of other "security items" -- although it is seen less frequently now because of already tight restrictions on travelling with anything remotely resembling a weapon of any sort (we used to get great switchblade/mace seizures from "security item" envelopes the airlines would hand off in our areas to the passengers -- believe it or not they were gate checked items, in a lot of cases, although since 9/11 you don't see this hardly at all).

Handing off firearms in the customs area may speed things up ... if you are importing one, you have to see a customs officer anyway.  But the airlines just don't have the staff to dedicate to this, and as you pointed out, they can't organize a trip to the bathroom without detouring through Frankfurt, so we'd probably get a lot of "rifle - pax" or "pax - rifle" both of which = more paperwork.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Well i going to the Yukon next week with my shotgun, so it should be interesting, must check the airline webpage to see their new procedures  :

 

[portcullisguy]

You are probably better off bringing a needle and yarn and just knitting yourself a new one.  ;D

Good luck, though!

 

[Dissident]

Caught a blurb from Global news.

Appears customs agents had to leave post as a murderer on the run was trying to run the border. I think it was the peace arch crossing, although it wasn't all that clear.

 

[GAP]

Guards walk off job at four B.C. border crossings
Updated Sun. Sep. 24 2006 9:59 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060924/bc_border_060924/20060924?hub=TopStories

Canadian border guards at four crossings in the Lower Mainland of B.C. have walked off the job in response to a security scare.

CTV Vancouver reported Sunday night that lineups at four crossings into Canada are massive. Gary Barndt reported from the station's helicopter that the lineups appeared to be several kilometres long at one crossing.

Managers with the Canada Border Services Agency are trying to staff the affected crossings -- Huntington, Aldergrove and Peace Arch, and Pacific Highway -- but Canada-bound traffic is just trickling across.

Agency spokesperson Faith St. John told CTV Vancouver there are reduced lanes at the crossings, all of which are open. "We have called in all our management staff. As more managers arrive, more lanes will be opened."

This was the first time she could recall all four crossings been affected this way.

Rhonda Fuller, a CTV Vancouver news producer, told the station at one point that in the 20 minutes since she last talked to them, "I haven't moved a car length."
More on link

 

[GAP]

An Update:

B.C. border guards back on job after walkout
Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060925.wbcborder0925/BNStory/National/home

VANCOUVER — Canadian border guards in British Columbia were back at work Monday after Labour Canada ruled there was no danger from an armed fugitive in the region.

About 60 unarmed inspectors abandoned their posts at four crossings Sunday afternoon south of Vancouver and in the Fraser Valley.

The walkout left motorists with long lineups and short fuses until Canada Border Services Agency managers cleared the backlog through the evening.

Dan Liebel, president of the B.C. Southern Branch of the Customs and Excise Union, said Labour Canada ordered members back to their posts after overruling a U.S. police warning that a murder suspect might be headed to Canada.

“This is the 57th work refusal, and every single time they've ruled in favour of the employer,” he said. “We find that awfully suspicious.”

Mr. Liebel said federal officials “picked (the suspect warning) apart until they could determine that it wasn't a ‘watch-for' of consequence ... and disregarded the other law-enforcement agency information.”

He said he is not impressed with the Conservative government's promise to arm the agency's guards over a 10-years period.

Only a small percentage will be trained to carry sidearms initially, said Mr. Liebel, when all that is needed is a 10-day, qualification-round course.

“Our officers have already been fully trained up to discharging firearms, (but) you're going to take a year and half to (train) 150 out of almost 7,000.”

He said the whereabouts of the California fugitive is unknown.

Officials weren't sure if a vehicle that ran through one of the B.C. crossings behind another car was the suspect in question, he said.
End

 

[tomahawk6]

Need to at least station the RMC at border crossings until the guards can be armed.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215519,00.html

BLAINE, Wash. —  Four Canadian border crossings were shut down Sunday as about 60 of Canada's unarmed border guards walked off the job after they were warned that a person classified as "armed and dangerous" may be headed into Canada.

 

[paracowboy]

Officials weren't sure if a vehicle that ran through one of the B.C. crossings behind another car was the suspect in question, he said.

:

 

[Trinity]

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/50826.0/topicseen.html

Day late, dollar short

 

[paracowboy]

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/50826.0/topicseen.html

Day late, dollar short

merged and moved

 

[MPIKE]

Officials weren't sure if a vehicle that ran through one of the B.C. crossings behind another car was the suspect in question, he said

Make people wait hours in line and streamline everyone into one line.  You are going to get the road ragers.

So was this really about safety or was it posturing by the union?

 

[gate_guard]

PIKER +1,

It sounds like their union is taking every opportunity it can to get guards to leave their posts.

 

[MPIKE]

It appears that way to me.  I only posed the question as I didn't really see in the reports of the safety concern.  Granted the last incident was a firefight on the border with fugitives but from what was reported this only was a BOLO or Safety alert.  Not sure of the jurisdiction but I'm sure "support" was only a call away?  :

But I'm open to be corrected if someone can set the record straight?.. I'm not afforded the same ability to walk off my "post" and I'm of the thought that CBSA should perhaps be the same in the interests of public/homeland safety .. 

 

[Bergeron 971]

I would have walked out, It is ridiculous that our border services are not armed. They should also have a tactical unit near every border as well.
Crist, when you got to the US, you see their border guards with glocks, some with MP5's. we have mace.

 

[aesop081]

I would have walked out, It is ridiculous that our border services are not armed. They should also have a tactical unit near every border as well.
Crist, when you got to the US, you see their border guards with glocks, some with MP5's. we have mace.

Good thing you are not a border guard then.  Do the guards not know how to call the RCMP...they had advanced warning from US authorities.  This has nothing to do with safety....just union bullshit......

 

[Trinity]

They've faced 10 times riskier situations over the years.  The possibility of
a person with a gun and they walk out... union bs i agree.

However, to be fair to many,

If my colleagues were leaving in a situation like that, though i disagree, I fear
I might join them to not rock the boat of the union.  Unions run deep and
they never forget either!

 

[J.J]

Union posturing for sure! It seems to be the only way to get the CBSA moving on the arming issue. They have known for many moons that BSO's will be armed and they did not have any contingency plans or "warning order's" in place. They are starting from scratch.

Ask a Police Constable to attend any call unarmed and his backup maybe seconds or minutes away. How would they feel? There are several ports that it would take priority back up 45 minutes to attend. They are forced to rely on the USCBS or the local US Police for support. I work in Windsor, the Police HQ is 200m away, and it has taken several minutes for them to attend for priority assistance. They also have a job to protect the municipality and not just us. Ask a worker in the factories to work unsafe, it would never happen. Yes we guard the borders, but I also have a wife and baby to go home to and at the end of the day, that is most important.

I feel cowardly and like I am shirking my duties and responsibilities when I have been a part work refusal. I also know that pressure from the public and industry, not the officer's themselves is what is going to force the Agency to accelerate their 10 year plan.

Everything is starting from scratch, but from the information coming out so far is that training program is supposed to be shadowing the US Homeland Security training. They are said to have the best training in the US. Which is a pleasant surprise, as it seems they are planning on training us to a high standard.

NB
There is a hiring frenzy going on right now country wide for Post Secondary graduates, look on the CBSA website or PM me for info.

 

[GUNS]

I have no problem with border guards being armed but I have to ask this question. I has only been recently that the border guards have started to leave the post, my question  is, Why now and not before?

One thing for certain and that is, when these people finally get their sidearms, they will be crying for a major pay raise because they are wearing sidearms.

One more point, when the bad guys try to cross the border, knowing that our border guards are unarmed, they have no reason to do them harm. Put a sidearm on our border guards and he/she becomes a obstacle and a target

 

[gate_guard]

WR, thanks for adding thread, its always good to hear from someone on the inside.

It sounds like some people are expecting the job of a border guard to be that much safer once they are armed. I can't argue that they shouldn't be armed, I'd quit if told to turn in my duty sidearm. That being said, if a & d suspect wants to kill you, aside from employing good officer safety tactics, there isn't much you can do. A police officer once arrested a suspect after questioning him for a few minutes. Upon searching him after handcuffing he found a loaded pistol in the back of his waistband. The guy could have shot the officer at any point before being arrested and handcuffed. Take that anecdote however you want, in the end, being armed doesn't equate to being invincible.

 

[ThainC]

Well... having to had wait 3 1/2 to come back to Canada after spending a weekend in Oregon (picked up some Oakleys too, Woot!), I was not impressed.  They haven't had a need before, and yet now they do (yes, I realize as threats change...).  I just think arming our guards adds an extra factor, which, when not there may keep them safe.  If someone trying to run the border doesn't feel threatened by the guards in their current unarmed state, then I would like to think less harm would come.

Additionally, if someone is trying to run the border, and suspects they may be busted, they probably have their weapon of choice ready, as opposed to a possibly unsuspecting border guard whose reading out from his booth.  How hard is it to let the vehicle pass, and then contact the RCMP? And though I am not sure, I suspect the US would help in a situation as well, though, I don't work for Canada Customs, so I am not sure.  My friend works at the Airport, and all around he thinks arming our guards isn't the best route, but he has his own reasons.

Just thoughts is all... just thoughts.