Greater Toronto Area Region top highlights of 2016

As we move forward into 2017, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) takes a look back at a few major stories from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Region’s operations in 2016, including airport enforcement action, criminal investigations, and new facility openings.

Border services officers in the GTA processed 14,292,823 travellers in 2016. They issued 80,707 study permits, 77,939 work permits, 2,826 allowed to leave orders, received 2,423 refugee claimants and processed 106,040 permanent resident landings.

CBSA officers are always on the lookout for contraband, and last year saw a total 2,094 drug seizures across all GTA airports, cargo, and mail processing operations. This includes 179 suspected cocaine seizures, weighing 1,570 kilograms and another 81 suspected heroin seizures, weighing in at 148 kilograms was also intercepted.

Over at the International Mail Processing Centre, officers inspected over 28,000 parcels, finding counterfeit and prescription medication/pills, medical devices, weapons (including prohibited knives), and other items. Their efforts kept over 4,000 dangerous weapons off Canadian streets.

Through its various programs, trade officers also assessed duties and taxes on additional revenue totalling $112,485,252.00 last year.

Here are some of the GTA’s enforcement and operational highlights:

Commercial Trade Pilot Program launches

New to the GTA is the Commercial Trade Pilot project. The purpose of the pilot is to review the transactional compliance of importers who have made use of low risk release options. A notable 73 Trade referrals were made in 2016, with at least $7,800,000 in estimated value of duties and taxes at-risk.

Luxury finds on the frontline

At Toronto Pearson International Airport (TPIA), a border services officer discovered several high ticket items, including jewellery, a handbag, and clothing with original packaging and some with receipts, during a secondary examination of a passenger’s luggage. The officer noticed the passenger was wearing a luxury watch brand, later appraised at $1-million. The passenger was subject to a level two currency seizure and a commodity seizure, which resulted in a determination of over $280,000 of total duties and taxes evaded.

Operation Syrian Refugee

The processing of passengers during Operation Syria continued last year, with 18,619 refugees welcomed at TPIA in 2016. The volume and processing timeframe of Operation Syrian Refugee are without precedent in Canadian immigration history.

Charges laid on company accused of evading over $1-million in duties and taxes

Officers in the GTA’s Criminal Investigations Division laid criminal and customs charges on a Toronto logistics company accused of evading $1,023,195.83 in duties and taxes payable to the CBSA by undervaluing 356 importations.  

Opening of the Toronto Air Carrier Support Centre

On November 10, 2016 the Toronto Air Carrier Support Centre (ACSC) opened for business providing 24/7 support to commercial carriers. Border services officers at the ACSC assist commercial air carriers in determining whether passengers possess the required travel documentation required to travel to Canada. The ACSC has been implemented to assist commercial air carrier representatives with questions on travel documents used for the electronic Interactive Advance Passenger Information messaging process.