Due to flooding this spring and summer, overall passengers processed at North Portal were down 46 per cent from last July, said officials from the Canada Border Services offices.
Officers processed 19,802 individuals as opposed to 36,972 in 2010. Vehicle traffic was 6,697 - down 36 per cent from last year - and commercial truck volumes declined 56 per cent to 4,530.
While traffic counts were reduced at North Portal because of detours, the Estevan Highway crossing saw a 17 per cent increase in car traffic in July as compared with the previous year, and commercial truck traffic increased by nearly 200 per cent.
During the month of July, North Portal refused entry to 56 individuals for various reasons including lack of proper identification or for criminality. In addition, the port issued 41 work permits, four students permits and 67 permanent resident permits.
On July 2, a Florida resident arrived at North Portal seeking to enter Canada. CBSA officers examined his motorhome and with the help of detector dog, Holly, located an undeclared .22 calibre revolver and 28 grams of marijuana. The individual was arrested and turned over to the RCMP. The handgun, drugs and motorhome were seized and officers issued a $1,440 penalty for the return of the motorhome.
On July 10, a Saskatchewan resident was returning to Canada after spending 48 hours in the United States and declared $200 worth of goods. CBSA officers examined the individual's vehicle and located $789.49 worth of undeclared goods. The goods were seized and a penalty of $240 was paid before the goods were returned.
On July 13, a U.S. resident arrived at the North Portal border crossing seeking entry into Canada. While searching his vehicle, officers located photographs of young females. They continued their search and found suspected child pornography on a computer so they arrested the traveller and turned him over to the provincial Integrated Child Exploitation Unit.
On July 15, a Tennessee resident arrived at the port on his way to Alaska. Officers conducted a secondary examination of his U-haul truck and during the examination they found an undeclared .40 calibre semi-automatic pistol, an undeclared 12 gauge shotgun and an over-capacity ammunition magazine. Officers seized the items and arrested the individual. The vehicle was also seized with a $1,000 penalty payment required for its return. The man was then refused entry into Canada.
On July 17, A Saskatchewan resident was returning to Canada after purchasing a vehicle in Georgia, and declared its value at US$17,000. Upon examination, officers determined the vehicle had actually been purchased for $21,600. The man had undervalued the vehicle by $4,600 in an attempt to save $219 in GST payment. The vehicle was seized and a penalty of $2,412.61 was enforced, in addition to $710.56 in taxes collected on the declared amount.
On July 21, an Ohio resident arrived at the Estevan Highway border crossing on his way to visit his wife in northern Alberta. He declared he did not have any gifts that would stay in Canada. Upon further inspection, officers found $1,952.65 worth of undeclared jewelry that he was intending on giving to his wife. Officers seized the jewelry and issued a $976.32 penalty which was paid in return for the goods.
Also at the Estevan Highway crossing, on July 28, a Saskatchewan resident returning to Canada declared the value of a car he was bringing back at US$10,000. During secondary examination, officers noted the vehicle had actually been purchased for $13,850. The individual had undervalued the vehicle in an attempt to save $182 in GST. The vehicle was seized and a penalty of $2,006 was applied before it could be returned to him. This was in addition to the $573 in taxes that were already paid on the declared amount.
With that incident and others noted above and in previous articles, CBSA reminds all travellers to make honest and accurate declarations of all goods acquired outside Canada when crossing the border. Failure to do so can result in seizure of the goods and vehicles and a much larger penalty being assessed for their return.
CBSA also reminds travellers that if they are planning to travel through the North Portal border crossing, the bridge portion of the highway near Roche Percee will be restricted to one lane until September 16 to allow for the completion of bridge structural repairs that began earlier this summer and are now being completed.
