Dealing with a 'changing clientele': life as Windsor border officer explained
Officers with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) admit their job has, at times, been unnerving. Scary even.
“We are dealing with a changing clientele,” says Jeff Gilmore chief of operations for CBSA at the Ambassador Bridge.
Instead of happy travellers or people crossing for leisure, officers were faced with scared vacationers and essential workers.
“We had some of these healthcare workers coming back to us in tears because of what they saw in the hospitals in Michigan,” says Gilmore.Canada Border Services Agency chiefs of operations at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont. on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. (Melanie Borrelli/CTV Windsor)
“It was hard, it was unnerving, there were some days that you know were pretty scary for me personally,” says Sydney Kale, another CBSA chief of operations.
“They (snowbirds) were, for the most part, frightened, and so were we. We didn’t know what would happen.”
“We have had travellers come who are covid positive,” says Gilmore, who quickly credits PPE - available from the outset - for keeping officers safe.
“Whether it’s the possibility of being shot at, or an infectious disease coming way, that is part of our job. I did sign up for that, so I was okay with staying,” says Kale.
CBSA officials say more than 50 times, the federal government drafted new COVID protocols.
Kale says officers had to do their homework.
“There were some times where, you know, with a few hours notice, you were quickly memorizing 25 plus pages of documents,” she says.
“In my business you don’t get too many choices,” chuckles director of Operations Joe McMahon. “The government of the day sets rules, sets orders and we’re here to order them and enforce them.”
One of the biggest, is on-site testing, rolled out in February 2021.
“Over 30 years I’ve seen a lot of different things in our agency,” says McMahon. “But I can probably honestly say, I didn’t think we’d ever be swabbing people at the port of entry.”COVID-19 swab area at the Canada-US border at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. (Melanie Borrelli / CTV Windsor)
The officers all say they are used to making the tough decisions like turning people away or sending travellers in to pay taxes.
Denying someone entry due to COVID-19 ranks high on their list of tough calls to make, they say, but one which must be done.
“They take their frustrations out sometimes, on our officers,” says Gilmore. “It’s an important part of the job. We may not take pleasure in giving that, you know, negative news. We take pleasure in keeping our community safe.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.