The port of Osoyoos is a 24/7 operation that forms part of the 132 ports of entry operated by the Canada Border Services Agency. Border Services Officers administer more than 90 separate Acts and Regulations for a variety of Government of Canada departments and agencies including:

• The Customs Act
• The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
• The Criminal Code of Canada

Throughout the month of April, Osoyoos Border Services Officers (BSO) processed 26, 543 travellers a 9% increase over the 24, 065 travellers processed over the same period last year.

Immigration:

During this month, twenty eight individuals were refused entry to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Many travellers seeking to enter Canada were inadmissible due to criminality found during background checks. Some of the charges or convictions included:

• Assault and assault with a deadly weapon
• Robbery
• Possession of Narcotics
• Possession of a prohibited weapon
• Hit and Run
• Impaired Driving
• Forgery
• Harassment

Customs:

During this time, officers conducted 18 seizures: Five were for narcotics and prohibited weapons and 13 were for miscellaneous goods. Two of the five narcotic and prohibited weapon seizures were referred to the CBSA Criminal Investigations Division for possible prosecution and one has resulted in a conviction with the convicted individual deported.

Some examples:

An individual failed to declare a personal use quantity of Hydrocodone Bitartrate, a painkiller similar to Oxy Codone. The personal use quantity was seized.

A Canadian resident was sent for secondary examination and BSOs discovered “prop” guns which the traveller had omitted to declare. Although “prop” guns are mostly used on movie sets, they can be modified to fully functioning handguns and are restricted firearms. The firearms were seized and a penalty of $2000 was paid. Prosecution is now pending.

Two foreign nationals declared one shotgun and were referred for further examination. During the exam, ammunition and a high capacity magazine were discovered. One of the passengers in the vehicle stated that a bulge in her pocket was an asthma inhaler, but the officer discovered that it was a .22 magnum mini revolver.  The woman had marijuana and pipes in her other pocket. She was arrested for weapons and drug smuggling. The remainder of the vehicle exam produced the declared shotgun (which was loaded), a knife with attached brass knuckles, a fuse or detonation cord, and another canister containing marihuana. Criminal charges were laid against the woman.  

Notable Actions:

An alert BSO noticed flames coming from underneath a commercial tractor trailer. The driver was directed to pull his vehicle forward and away from the building and the BSO used a dry chemical fire extinguisher to put out the fire. The Osoyoos Fire Department responded with two fire trucks. Due to the quick action of the BSO, there were no injuries or property damage. 

Travel Tips:

The CBSA reminds all travellers to truthfully declare all purchases when returning to Canada and to be mindful of the following: after an absence of 24 hours, you may bring back $50 worth of goods duty- and tax-free; after 48 hours, your personal exemption is $400; and after an absence of seven days, you are entitled to $750 worth of duty- and tax-free goods. There are no personal exemptions for same-day purchases.

All food, plants, animals, and related products must be declared. To determine the most up-to-date import requirements for these items, refer to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Automated Import Reference System at www.inspection.gc.ca

Furthermore, certain species of plants and animals are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and their trade is carefully controlled. Please refer to the I Declare brochure on the CBSA Web site for more information.