Editor:
Re: Power trip at the border (letter, June 20 issue of The Grand Forks Gazette)
Thank you very much to the hundred-plus people who contacted me with messages of support and stories of distress after the publication of my letter regarding abuse at the Danville border crossing on June 3.
On June 4, I wrote a letter of complaint to the superintendent in charge of this crossing.
He called me the following day, ostensibly to attempt to defuse the situation, without even having spoken to the offending officer but I insisted on filing a formal complaint.
Four weeks went by and I heard nothing, I filled in the complaint form on the CBSA website which can be found at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html. Go to the “In Focus” section on the right and click on “Comments, Complaints and Compliments.”
Perhaps these people are too busy playing polo but I have heard nothing from them either.
The most common report I have received from the citizens who took the time to contact me is that they simply do not go down “there” any more.
They are tired of being treated like criminals when they are coming home. One man in his 80s broke into tears when recounting his humiliation at this border crossing.
I am putting together a file, which I intend to forward to the minister in charge of the CBSA.
I believe this crossing suffers from either a lack of supervision, a lack of training, or both and things need to change.
If you wish to be a part of this, join the throng by emailing the details of your experience with the name(s) or badge numbers of the civil servants involved to borderabuse@yahoo.ca.
Again, I wish to emphasize that there are some of the finest of personnel employed at this crossing; however, the bad eggs need to be dealt with.
Phil McGirr, Grand Forks
