Slower crossings feared for Windsor as CBSA seeks agents for Quebec duty
A government request asking border officers to consider relocating to Quebec for the summer to help with an expected influx of asylum seekers from the U.S. has officials here worried there could be delays at the border. “Definitely it concerns us,” said Stan Korosec, who oversees operations for the Ambassador Bridge company on the Canadian side. “They often have troubling staffing the lanes now. We are hoping they don’t take any personnel from our crossing here.”
The Canada and Border Services Agency has issued a request for volunteers across the country to relocate to Quebec for a minimum of one month this summer and help out processing asylum seekers whose numbers are anticipated to skyrocket starting in June. Up to 400 per day are expected to arrive at Canada’s borders once school is out in the U.S.
CBSA has offered to pay all living expenses for any officer who chooses to relocate. But Korosec is fearful many of the country’s busiest airports and land border crossings will be left short-handed, causing delays. Border traffic is at its heaviest during the summer months.
“We understand it’s a big issue and the need for resources,” Korosec said.
“But we have also heard many (government) ministers say (Windsor) is the most important border crossing in the country and important to trade. I hope everyone remembers that. We really see the difference here even when there is one less booth open.” The Customs and Immigration Union, which represents 6,500 officers across Canada — including more than 400 in Windsor — has been warning of the looming staffing crisis for months, said union president Jean-Pierre Fortin. There has been no response from the government.
Federal government cutbacks have aggravated the situation. The government announced five years ago the reduction of 1,200 customs officers through attrition, Fortin said.
“They are inviting our members in Windsor to be deployed to Quebec,” he said. “The problem we see is that instead of increasing hires, they are only moving resources internally. You definitely are going to impact the (travelling) public. “If our people in Windsor go to the Quebec region, you will see wait times increasing on the primary line, and security more at risk.”
To avoid the crisis, Fortin estimated roughly half of the 1,200 jobs that were eliminated should be returned.
“The government should have planned accordingly,” he said. “This is not something new. There will be manpower and resource issues all over.”
CBSA did not return a message Thursday from the Windsor Star, but spokeswoman Patrizia Giolti told the Globe and Mail there should not be any added delays at land crossings due to the reassignment this summer of border officers.
An internal “call for interest” memo issued by CBSA obtained by the Windsor Star asks for employee volunteers between May 28 and Sept. 16, with an expectation to be reassigned to Quebec for a month.
The Ambassador Bridge has 13 primary inspection lanes for trucks heading into Windsor. All
We really see the difference here even when there is one less booth open.
the lanes generally are open during the heaviest periods of traffic each day, Korosec said. Anywhere from 5,000 to 6,000 trucks are processed each day, with each truck spending an average of up to two minutes at a primary customs inspection lane, he said. “If you go down to 12 or 11 lanes, you will quickly start to see a mile of trucks backing up on the bridge,” Korosec said. “We are hoping not to lose any officers.”