The following is excerpted from the 4 September 2010 edition of “montrealgazette.com”.
Opposition is growing to the Canadian Border Security Agency’s (CBSA’s) recent decision to close two Canadian border stations south of Montreal next spring.
The mayor of Franklin, Suzanne Blair, will be holding a news conference next week to launch a petition drive. And the largest employer in the region, Les Vergers Leahy, has written federal authorities a strong letter of protest.
News of the proposed closings has also been greeted negatively south of the border.
Gary Douglas, president of the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce, told Plattsburgh’s Press-Republican that the unilateral decision by Canada to close the two border stations violates the 2002 U.S.-Canada Smart Border Accord.
“The failure of the Canadian government to co-ordinate with the U.S. government is absolutely mind-boggling,” he said.
The two border stations south of Montreal are among three nationally that were tagged last month by the CBSA for closing next April, because of budget cuts.
The Franklin Centre and Jamieson’s Line border stations are situated south of the towns of Franklin and Huntingdon, respectively. The third station slated for closing next spring is on the Saskatchewan-Montana border…
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have asked to meet with their CBSA counterparts to explore ways of maintaining two-way traffic. The Americans don’t like the idea of one-way border crossings where you can get into the U.S. from Canada but can’t get into Canada from the U.S…
Contacted yesterday by The Gazette, Department of Homeland Security spokesman Raphael Lemaitre said the CBP has suspended renovations at the Franklin Centre/ Churubasco crossing, and the Saskatchewan/Montana one, because of the CBSA’s proposed port closures. He said American officials want to “develop a joint solution that ensures the continued security interests of both countries. During this time, CBP will also explore alternatives with CBSA to enable the continued facilitation of two-way traffic.”…
