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CTV News
30 minutes ago
- CTV News
Hundreds of foreign nationals with criminal convictions evading border authorities in Canada, some for years
A patch is seen on the shoulder of a Canada Border Services Agency officer's uniform in Tsawwassen, B.C., Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Nearly 600 foreign nationals with criminal convictions are evading Canadian authorities, with more than half of them on the Canadian Border Services Agency's (CBSA) 'wanted' list while avoiding removal for more than three years, CTV News has confirmed. According to the CBSA, 1,635 foreign nationals with criminal records were facing removal orders, as of mid-July. Of those, 599 — more than a third — have failed to appear for a scheduled removal proceeding, with whereabouts unknown. More than 70 per cent of the missing individuals have been convicted of 'serious criminality' in Canada. Serious criminality includes convictions punishable by a minimum of six months and maximum of 10 years in prison for a crime committed in Canada. Those could include anything from aggravated sexual assault to robbery, as well as hybrid offences, such as ones involving impaired driving or distributing cannabis to minors. 'The CBSA has an obligation to remove individuals under enforceable removal orders as soon as possible to ensure the protection and safety of Canada and the Canadian public,' wrote CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer in an email to CTV News, after the figures were reported in the Globe and Mail. 'To support this, the Agency prioritizes cases for removal based on a risk management regime.' The CBSA wanted inventory lists cases in which removal orders have been issued, but the foreign national is evading Canadian authorities and deportation. While 193 cases have been on the list for less than a year, 45 have been on the list for one-to-two years, 46 cases for two-to-three years, and 315 for more than three years. 'CBSA officers undertake proactive investigations to locate and arrest individuals subject to an immigration warrant. Investigations are prioritized, ensuring high-risk cases have the greatest number of resources,' Reimer wrote, adding the agency does regular reviews to track down wanted individuals or confirm whether they've left Canada. 'Individuals subject to immigration enforcement have incentive not to be found and may rely on family and community members to shelter them,' Reimer also wrote. 'In addition, some individuals may resort to using alternate identities to avoid detection.' Reimer said the CBSA prioritizes removals for cases 'subject to a serious inadmissibility,' namely in instances of organized crime, human rights violations, or when the individual poses a security risk or has been convicted of a crime in Canada. Order of priority for the agency then moves on to irregular migrant asylum seekers, such individuals who cross the border between ports of entry. They're followed by failed refugee claimants, and finally, 'all other immigration violations.' In 2013, the federal government passed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act — dubbed the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act by the government at the time — to make it harder for foreign nationals and permanent residents convicted of 'serious criminality' to review their inadmissibility to Canada. 'Deportation is often viewed as an administrative measure, separate from criminal punishment,' wrote immigration lawyer Yoann Axel Emian in an article for the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association. 'Yet for many migrants in Canada, the consequences of a criminal conviction extend well beyond the sentence handed down in court.' 'A sentencing decision that might seem routine can result in removal from the country, sometimes to a place the individual has not lived since early childhood,' Emian added. 'This legal and human reality places criminal court judges in a difficult position.' Emian said the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act was a 'significant development,' removing the ability of foreign nationals and permanent residents to appeal a removal order after they've been convicted or completed their sentence. The changes in the legislation 'tighten the link between criminal convictions and removal from Canada,' Emian wrote. 'Despite this legislative change, sentencing judges have continued to grapple with the impact of deportation in their decisions,' Emian also wrote. 'In some cases, they have found ways to challenge or mitigate these consequences.' Reimer said the CBSA removed a record total 18,000 inadmissible people from Canada last year, with Canada's Border Plan laying out a goal of 20,000 removals in the next two years. The border plan was first announced last December in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs on Canadian goods if Canada doesn't stop the flow of drugs and migrants over the border. Also included in the plan, and in the government's 2024 fall economic statement, is more funding for the CBSA, to be used in part on boosting immigration investigations, Reimer said.
CBC
31 minutes ago
- CBC
New Sask. legislation intended to discourage street weapons comes into force
Social Sharing The Safe Public Spaces Act, also known as the Street Weapons Act, is coming into effect in Saskatchewan on Aug. 1. The act gives police the power to seize street weapons, which include large knives, hatchets, and bear spray. Municipalities and First Nations must first opt-in to the act, meaning that each jurisdiction has a say. Sask. Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim Mcleod announced the coming-into-force on Thursday at Moose Jaw Police Service Headquarters. "All of the Charter protections still exist and the Criminal Code isn't being changed by this legislation," said McLeod. "However, we have seen an increasing number of incidents where there were people openly carrying a machete, or unfortunately, bear spray has become a real concern in a variety of situations." McLeod says that the legislation builds upon regulations surrounding bear spray, and expands it to other potentially dangerous items. The "street weapons" listed include blades over 30 centimetres, hatchets, sledgehammers, body armour and bear spray. "It's giving police an additional tool where somebody may be carrying an item that otherwise didn't violate the Criminal Code, but is simply dangerous for a public purpose," said McLeod. "We've heard many stories coming out of Saskatoon with bear spray in shopping malls. Bear spray does not belong in shopping malls." Moose Jaw Police Service's Superintendent Trish Seman said that the act will be an important tool for officers. "Typically right now we would be more reactive than proactive," said Seman. "We get on the scene a lot of times and things have already happened. If we were at a situation or event, we see the machete as the extreme case … Sometimes we run into situations where we might not be able to seize it because there might not be a reason for us to, but this allows us now to seize it." Possessing the street weapons in a public setting could potentially cause convictions with fines up to $5,000, or a full year in police don't need to lay a charge however, as they can simply seize the dangerous item. Joanne Klassen, co-owner of The Boutique Next Door, says in the 32 years she's been in business in downtown Moose Jaw, crime and violence have declined greatly. "It wouldn't be a city unless there were areas that felt unsafe," said Klassen. "As for walking around downtown, that is not a frightening thing for me at all. I think sometimes things can be over-exaggerated … It feels safe and fun."
CBC
31 minutes ago
- CBC
New Saint John housing site 'committed' to being good neighbour, but businesses concerned
Social Sharing Saint John's first "green zone," a site with transitional housing for homeless people, will see residents moving in Friday, but some nearby business owners say they hope the operators are keeping public safety top of mind. The 12 Neighbours group will run the project, called Neighbourly Homes, for people who have been living in encampments. The site, on Egbert Street off Thorne Avenue in east Saint John, consists of two courtyards with a total of 28 tiny units and shared bathroom and kitchen space. Each unit has a bed, desk and iPad. The site is near a 60-plus bed shelter, which opened in the winter as the city's out-of-the-cold response but has since turned into a year-round overnight shelter. The shelter is run by the non-profit Fresh Start Services, which also identified the people who will live in Neighbourly Homes. Saint John encampment green zones aim to break barriers for city's homeless 5 minutes ago The area is also home to several auto-related businesses. Jeff Murray, owner of Saint John Spring Works Ltd., a truck shop directly behind the shelter, says he has experienced petty thefts, such as the theft of licence plates from cars, and other concerning behaviour since the shelter opened, and he fears the green zone's arrival will add to the problem. "It's sort of gotten worse since the winter. They were open 24/7 in the wintertime," he said. "Now we're having the people that are here when the shelter is not open, I guess, use it as a human dumping ground. It could be feces, it could be garbage, it could be drug paraphernalia — things of that nature." Another green zone will open later this year as part of Saint John's Housing for All strategy, launched last year. The two sites could be home to a total of 56 residents. Green zones were originally described as areas where homeless encampments would be permitted, with services such as heating and garbage pickup. But in May, the city provided full details of what has become a transitional housing site, supported by a $3.5-million funding agreement with the federal and provincial governments. Tenting won't be allowed around site Nick Shepard, Fresh Start's outreach co-ordinator, said the organization and city staff have met with businesses and are aware of concerns. He said the city will be expanding the presence of outreach workers to maintain safe areas around green zones. "One thing that will be a benefit to having spaces like these in this community is that the city will be having a 200-metre buffer around a lot of these spaces, where they're not going to allow tenting," Shepard said. The site will have security cameras, and city staff said Saint John police will do regular patrols for safety within and surrounding the green zone. Rick Dikens, whose shop, King Transmission Ltd., is across the street from Murray and steps from the green zone, has similar concerns. With a large encampment close by, Dikens said, he has experienced challenges for years. "It's nice to see the city doing something," he said. "I'm not sure if it will fix the problems that businesses like mine and the others in the area are having. I hope they can fix some lives with it." Murray said he understands that homelessness is a national problem, and that transitional housing is needed. He also believes the city cares about business's concerns. But businesses want to see governments ensure protocols are in place so he, his neighbours and their patrons aren't facing risks to their safety and properties. "Right now, I can't say that there is no risk," he said. "It is not uncommon for folks to drop off their vehicle and be confronted by someone who's on the street and not in the right mindset which is not a good feeling for anybody." Site will help rebuild lost skills Marcel LeBrun, founder of the 12 Neighbours group, said the project will break barriers that drive people to sleep in encampments instead of emergency shelters by offering a private, lockable place, without a curfew and open to pets. "The idea is to eliminate a lot of those barriers, why people might not choose emergency housing and they might choose to stay outside," LeBrun said. The Saint John site will have no rules about substance use. Admission is based on behaviour, and recovery services will be available to those who want them. "Most folks that are living rough are substance users — that's just what the reality is," LeBrun said. "Some people are substance users and functional in their lives, and for others it might cause them behavioural issues that make it difficult for them to live in communities. For us, it's really about the behaviour more than the substances." One goal of the project is to develop "tenancy maintenance skills," such as cooking, cleaning and budgeting for bills, which Shepard said can be lost when someone is homeless for years. "All the types of things that we just take for granted, like 'When do I need to clean my bathroom?'" he said. "We've seen situations where individuals are plucked out of the street or shelters and plopped into apartments and maybe the support is not enough, and they flounder because they've lost a lot of those soft skills, so they're right back to the shelters or onto the street." At Neighbourly Homes, tenants will not be required to pay rent but will instead pay roughly $5 a day for a warm meal program. Shepard said the groups operating the site are committed to being good neighbours. "If this is successful you'll see secondary sites, you'll see other agencies stepping forward, looking to do more of this alternative housing," he said.
