Canada's minister of public safety is recognizing the work of Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials as more narcotics and firearms are being seized at the Blue Water Bridge.
Minister Marco Mendicino toured the CBSA facility in Point Edward on Tuesday.
Nearly 60 firearms seized over the last year were displayed on a table. CBSA Acting Director Rob Wilson said one of the firearms was just seized Monday night from a commercial truck.
In 2022, a total of 12 handguns, 10 semi-automatic rifles, and 21 replica firearms were seized at the local port of entry.
A total of 868.4 kilograms of illegal narcotics were also seized at the Blue Water Bridge, including 612 kg of cocaine -- which is up considerably from 179.5 kg seized in 2021. Border officials also seized 200 kg of methamphetamine in 2022, up from 83.4 kg in 2021.
Wilson said 99 per cent of heroin, pink cocaine, and methamphetamine seized in southern Ontario came in through the Blue Water Bridge border crossing.
"From where I sit as minister of public safety, the Government of Canada will continue to invest in the front-line officers of the CBSA. In the last two years alone, we have allocated $450 million so that the CBSA can hire more people so they can get the resources they need," said Mendicino.
"This is part of the government's overall strategy to reduce gun violence, to attack organized crime. Whether they're trying to bring in guns illegally or drugs illegally … We're also introducing smart gun control policies like Bill C21."
Wilson said there are about 160 officers at the Blue Water Bridge and staff levels are up approximately 10 per cent compared to pre-pandemic.
While touring the CBSA facility, Minister Mendicino was given demonstrations on how funding has allowed for certain resources and equipment.
Superintendent Sally Craggs used the Backscatter X-ray to show how a handheld tool is used to find narcotics and weapons.
Craggs has 19 years of experience and said this type of equipment wasn't available until recently.
"We have only actually had this for about 2.5 years. It's a great new little piece of equipment," she said. "Our officers here absolutely love using it!"
CBSA officers also demonstrated the work of its K9 unit, which includes two dogs named Smoke and Bones.
Smoke's handler, Vince Sutton said the dogs can block out all distractions while working and are rewarded with toys rather than treats (since they do come across various food items during searches).
Sutton said they work in 10.5-hour shifts and by potentially adding a third K9 unit, they would be able to provide full 24/7 coverage.
"We do approximately 50 to 100 exams a month so that works out to about 15 searches a day. In the summertime with traffic volumes, it's a lot more," said Sutton.
"Right now, we do the very best between me and my partner to make sure one of us is available."
Although an extra K9 unit "would be great", Wilson said additional staffing and training to keep up with the latest trends would be welcomed.
Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino was in Point Edward this morning. A CBSA demonstration showed how K9 dogs are used to search commercial vehicles. Story to come. pic.twitter.com/QeUL88sNr1
— Natalia Vega (@NataliaV_News) January 17, 2023
Mendicino didn't announce funding or additional resources during his visit but said "stay tuned" as funds are being announced under the Building Safer Communities Fund. An investment of just over $3 million was announced in London on Monday.
"We're rolling out a $250 million Building Safer Communities Fund across the country. What we're doing is working in close partnership with municipalities where there is a higher risk of organized crime, including gun crime," said Mendicino. "We are quite anxious to get that money out as quickly as possible so we can prevent crime from occurring."
Mendicino also met with Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley and Sarnia Police Chief Derek Davis on Tuesday before travelling to Windsor.
