Lansdowne Port of Entry

The Lansdowne (Thousand Islands) port of entry (POE) is a key crossing between Canada and the United States. Located at the base of the international bridge on Hill Island, it connects Highway 401 to the United States Interstate Highway 81.

The POE operates on a 24/7 basis and processes both traveller and commercial traffic. It offers many functions, including:

• Customs and Immigration

• Nexus/Highway

• Accounts Receivable Ledger Office

• Designated Commercial Office

• Designated Export Office

• Electronic Data Interchange

• Duty free shop

• Bilingual service

The POE is classified as an armed location.

On April 2, 2013, the Government of Canada announced the allocation of up to $60 million in new funding for the Lansdowne facility to make it more efficient, secure, and reliable for trade and travel. The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited (FBCL), a Canadian Crown corporation, as the developer and new owner, on behalf of the government, was tasked with the project’s oversight and completion. Construction of the new facility began in the spring of 2015 and finished in December of 2017. The project follows through on commitments made in the Beyond the Border Action Plan announced in December 2011.

The new facility replaces the former commercial facility built in 1960 and the traveller facility constructed in 1972. The new 76,000 square foot building is approximately three times the size of the old facility and meets the needs of the travelling public, commercial services, immigration services and the wellbeing and safety of CBSA staff and clients. Border wait times have been reduced, traffic congestion has been alleviated, and security has been strengthened.

The infrastructure improvements involved the complete renovation and expansion of the entire Canadian plaza, including an expansion of the CBSA travellers’ facility, the secondary examination facilities, and better roadways.

The old facility had eight primary inspection lanes, which included four regular traffic lanes and four bi-level lanes, used to process both traveller and commercial volume. The new facility has five commercial truck lanes, one bus lane, and eight car lanes, for a new total of fourteen lanes. The segregated commercial primary processing area provides space for commercial vehicles to move directly into the commercial queues, reducing the back-up of commercial trucks on the Thousand Islands Bridge, which had previously been the cause of significant delays for both the commercial and travelling public.

The remodeled POE enables the CBSA to process travellers more efficiently and better meet our border wait time standard. Border services officers are better equipped to perform effective secondary examinations, which reduce the risk of contraband activities, revenue evasion, and illegal immigration. These infrastructure improvements have ensured that the POE is now positioned to meet projected increases in traffic for many years to come.

The CBSA inspection facilities at Lansdowne are owned and operated by the FBCL. The CBSA at Lansdowne has developed and enjoys excellent working relationships with its stakeholders and works very closely in cooperation with them to achieve our common goals.

Lansdowne by the numbers:

• 1 Drug loo;

• NEXUS authorized point of entry for members of the joint Canada/U.S. Nexus Highway Program;

• Key stakeholders include the Federal Bridge Corporation Limited, Thousand Islands Bridge Authority, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Public Health Agency of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, US Customs and Border Protection, US Border Patrol.

• 1,560,226 travellers processed in 2017-2018;

• 264 enforcement actions completed in 2017-2018, including 75 which involved Narcotics/Drugs Chemical and/or pharmaceuticals/Medical.

• 5,490 Immigration documents issued including 884 Allowed to Leave, 834 Inadmissibility Reports, 88 Refugee claims, 279 Student Permits, 617 Work Permits, 2,279 Permanent Resident Landings, 447 Visitor Records and 67 Temporary Resident Permits.

The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited (FBCL)

• Construction Facts for Lansdowne:

• The new facilities were built around the previously existing 60-year-old buildings, which required the blasting of 160,000 tonnes of rock to prepare the site.

• The rock was used for granular fill on the site.

• The rock base on the commercial side of the CBSA building was left intact to allow a split level structure that permitted passenger vehicles on one side and commercial vehicles on the other.

• Demolition of older buildings were staged to allow for new construction while maintaining full CBSA operations.

• Electrical grid capacity for such a large facility, required some green solutions;

  • The building is fitted with emergency backup generators;

  • An ice storage system provides air-conditioning during the summer; and

  • LED lights use up to 65% less electricity.

• Other green initiatives measures include:

  • On-site wastewater treatment;

  • Reuse of a granite wall from one if the previous buildings;

  • Use of glulam beams to make benches for the lobby area; and

  • Rain water is harnessed for landscaping and other functions.

The FBCL is a Crown corporation, headquartered in Ottawa, responsible for Canadian federal interests at four of eleven international bridge locations in Ontario. FBCL’s responsibilities and relationships are varied and reflect the unique origin of each bridge. FBCL owns crossing assets and provides oversight to bridge operations, administering international agreements associated with the bridges, leading bridge engineering and inspection duties and management of bridge capital investment projects.

Our bridge assets are located in Sault Ste. Marie, Point Edward (Sarnia), Lansdowne and Cornwall, Ontario.

The CBSA is responsible for providing integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities and facilitate the free flow of persons and goods, including animals and plants that meet all requirements under the program legislation.

Recent highlights

12,000 pounds of cheese seized at Lansdowne port of entry

On January 10, 2018, a border services officer (BSO) referred a commercial vehicle for a secondary examination. The Montréal driver had declared a load of steel lockers. During inspection, the Contraband Detection Unit observed inconsistencies based on the items declared, the way the trailer was loaded, and the weight of the load. Several undeclared pallets of cheese totaling 12,000 pounds were discovered at the front of the trailer.

Huge cocaine seizure at the Lansdowne (Thousand Islands) Port of Entry

On October 5, 2016, a resident of Laval, Quebec, was referred for a secondary examination of his commercial vehicle. With the help of detector dog Shaggy, border services officers located four undeclared items hidden in the trailer. A total of 98.8 kilograms of suspected cocaine was retrieved.

The man and suspected cocaine were turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for further processing.

Commercial tobacco interdictions at the Lansdowne port of entry

On July 1, 2017 a tractor truck driver was referred for secondary investigation. The driver had declared lighting equipment but upon opening the trailer doors it was found to be fully loaded with contraband tobacco. The driver was arrested, investigations attended, and the investigation is ongoing.

On Sept 22, 2017, a BSO was engaged in roving activities in the Primary Inspection area for commercial vehicles. The team member made a selective referral on a tractor trailer. The BSO watched as the truck backed up and the driver opened the doors. Upon opening the doors of the trailer it became evident that this truck was hauling a full load of contraband tobacco. The driver was arrested and investigations attended. The investigation is ongoing.

The Value for Duty of the two tobacco loads was $4,031,964.