Ontario launches new border security measures in wake of Trump tariff threats
CBC
The Ontario government says it has launched new border security measures aimed at preventing illegal border crossings and cross-border transporting of illegal guns and drugs.
It is also calling on the federal government to do more to help.
Under Operation Deterrence, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) set up an emergency response team of 200 officers, plus front-line and specialty officers, according to a news release Tuesday by the province.
As of Dec. 6, OPP had conducted more than 6,000 hours of patrols, using fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, remotely piloted aircraft, boats, off-road vehicles, patrol vehicles and foot patrol, the province said.
CBC asked the solicitor general's office how many individuals the initiative has so far detained as they were attempting to illegally cross the border; it also asked about the quantity of illegal drugs and weapons seized as part of the operation. Spokesperson Chelsea McGee did not answer those questions.
CBC has put the same questions to OPP, but has not yet received any response.
"Ontario has been calling on the federal government to step up and address safety and security concerns at the border," Premier Doug Ford said in the release.
"We need to see words turned into visible action … In the meantime, Ontario is stepping up with Operation Deterrence to crack down on illegal border crossings and illegal guns and drugs. A more coordinated, Team Canada approach that includes more boots on the ground is the only way to detect, deter and disrupt illegal activity and ensure the safety and security of Canadian and American communities."
Ontario's initiative follows those of two other provinces in the wake of threats by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods unless Canada tightens border security:
Operation Deterrence will target its activities outside the 14 official border crossings staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the province said.
It's intended as a supplement to existing and ongoing efforts to protect Ontario-U.S. borders, including the OPP's Joint Forces Border Drug Interdiction Task Force.
Ontario officers will work in partnership with the RCMP and make use of specialty resources, including canine units, commercial motor vehicle inspections and criminal investigators, the province said.
In Windsor, across from the Detroit River from Michigan, the southwestern Ontario city's harbour master called the initiative "long overdue" and said he looks forward to the federal government bringing more funding to the table.
"I think the 200 officers is a good start," said Peter Berry of the Windsor Port Authority.
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