While the search for a man who allegedly crossed the border illegally on a rented jet ski continues, some officials say the incident is exposing holes in Canada’s border security.
Sarnia police and its American counterparts are investigating after a Sea-Doo was recovered on the Michigan shore, after being rented by a Toronto man from a southwestern Ontario border city business. When the jet ski was not returned, a search was mounted and the jet ski found a few hours later. The man has still not been found.
In a statement, Sarnia police said he remains outstanding in both Canada and the U.S. but ” work is underway to apprehend him,” and that the investigation is ongoing.
Sarnia—Lambton— Bkejwanong MP Marilyn Gladu says more needs to be done to combat “porosity,” at the border — noting that Sarnia does not have an RCMP office.
“Really it’s not … patrolled formally,” Gladu said.
“You have the Coast Guard available if there’s a concern expressed, but otherwise … we have to call London or Windsor to get any support from the RCMP.
“We’ve had this concern for a while and both myself and [Sarnia mayor] Mayor Bradley have been calling on the government to address the porosity of the border here.”
In a Windsor, Ont., stop on Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the border is short “thousands” of patrol officers and placed the blame on the previous federal government.
In January, Ford’s government launched Operation Deterrence, which saw hundreds of officers assigned to the borders. The province has also committed to buying the Windsor Police Service, among others, a helicopter for further surveillance.
However, the premier added border patrol shouldn’t be the responsibility of municipal or provincial police. Instead, he said it should rest with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
“We cannot have Windsor Police Service patrolling our borders, they have enough issues to take care of on the land,” said Ford.
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While Gladu said she agrees with Ford, she also maintained any and all resources are needed.
“All help that we can get is appreciated and more needs to be done.”
Border security has become a top issue since the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made repeated comments about Canada’s borders letting drugs and crime into his country — while also indicating a desire to annex Canada.
In a bid to stave off tariffs in February, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to moving forward with a previously approved $1.3 billion border plan on border security and appointing Kevin Brosseau as the country’s new fentanyl czar.
The current federal government has also introduced the Strong Borders Act, which expands the powers of intelligence and security agencies.
“This is essential to maintaining the safety and security of our country … it is also a priority that we share with our neighbours,” said Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree when the bill was unveiled.
But the president of the union representing CBSA workers says while they’ve been promised resources, they haven’t seen much yet.
Mark Weber of the Customs and Immigration Union says he wasn’t surprised to hear about the Sarnia jet ski incident.
“It is very commonly known,” he said.
“I think the issue of who takes care of things between ports of entry is a kind of a big blind spot right now that’s completely left to the RCMP.”
Weber says if CBSA agents witness someone crossing the border illegally, they have to call the RCMP, despite having the same legal authority.
“It makes no sense at all that we’re not part of doing that work,” Weber said. “We’re not saying, we want to replace the RCMP or do all of that work.
“It’s a big border. It takes a lot of people and a lot of manpower to get that work done, but we want to be part of that solution.”
Staffing is a major concern, he said, with ports of crossings racking up virtually “unlimited” amounts of overtime.
Weber says CBSA officers should be encouraged to tackle the issue of illegal crossings.
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In a statement, the RCMP said patrolling the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers is a joint effort between their officers and “federal, provincial and municipal” law enforcement partners.
In Windsor, the RCMP maintains a Shiprider unit that does cross-border law enforcement alongside the U.S. coast Guard, OPP, Windsor police and Walpole Island First Nations police.
That unit, a spokesperson said, works on activities including the illegal drug trade, migrant smuggling, firearms trafficking and terrorism — while also relying on its American partners for enforcement on the water.
“Our ongoing collaboration with American law enforcement enables us to conduct efficient and effective investigations at our shared border,” the statement said.
