Evidence of meeting #109 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was border.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for being here today, everybody.
I just want to clarify one comment that you had at the beginning, Mr. Comerford, with regard to the legalization of marijuana. You said that when October 17 comes and goes, there will be no changes in what you're doing. Is that what you said?
Regional Director General, Southern Ontario Region, Canada Border Services Agency
It is still illegal to import cannabis into the country, and we'll be processing the same way we process today. If it's not declared, we will obviously arrest the individual and possibly prosecute the individual.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
Even though it will be legal in Canada on October 17, presumably it would still be illegal to bring it into Canada. Is that what you're saying?
Regional Director General, Southern Ontario Region, Canada Border Services Agency
Yes, it's the importation.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
Okay. That's interesting.
I want to focus most of my question on some of the comments. Mr. Comerford, I think you might be interested in commenting, as well as Mr. Reinas and Mr. Bieger.
Mr. Bieger, you mentioned it, but I'm sorry, I didn't really catch it when you said that there were concerns for when the Gordie Howe bridge opens.
General Manager, Niagara Falls Bridge Commission
The concern we have is—again, because staffing is so critical—just getting the number of people needed in the southern Ontario region for our three bridges and the Peace Bridge. By taking from the pool of CBSA officers—unless there's going to be a big increase in CBSA officers—there's a concern that we're going to lose some of our officers here in the southern Ontario area.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
Presumably this is because there's now a new border crossing. Without having an increase in members, some would have to go there. You'd basically be splitting that.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
The Ambassador Bridge also received a permit to increase its size. I imagine that would also cause some concern for you. Without any additional officers, do you feel that it would be understaffed? Is that appropriate to say?
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
Mr. Reinas, you mentioned the Gordie Howe bridge in your opening comments as well. We're seeing an additional 12 lanes, essentially, with the permit of the Ambassador and the Gordie Howe. Do you see that as a necessary number of lanes to accommodate traffic the way it is right now?
General Manager, Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority
No, it's major overkill. There is existing capacity on all of the bridges.
In terms of lanes over the river, that's not the issue. The issue is what happens at either end. If we can expedite the flow of traffic.... We've done a very detailed analysis that can actually reduce the number of lanes over the rivers at the international border crossings, and the borders would function equally well, if not better. That's the bottleneck.
The Champlain Bridge, for example, in Montreal, will have six lanes of traffic, and it carries 137,000 vehicles. If the Gordie Howe bridge were to take every car from the Ambassador Bridge.... It handles less than 19,000 vehicles, just to put it in perspective. It's not the lanes over the river that make a difference.
NDP
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
I have two quick questions for either of you.
To your knowledge, has any study shown how much shortening wait times at the border helps to reduce greenhouse gases?
General Manager, Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority
Yes, we're actually familiar with it. We did some very detailed studies on that when we were looking at twinning the bridge through an environmental impact statement that was jointly operated by Canada and the United States.
Again, the issue isn't the lanes over the water: it's whatever can be done to eliminate the delays at the border. That means things like the trusted trader program, the FAST program, the NEXUS program, proper regulations, proper staffing of the booths. As much as possible, we have to emulate free-flow traffic conditions. If you emulate those, you don't have the idling and you don't get the greenhouse gases.
NDP
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
Is the study you’re referring to public? If so, could you give us the reference, either now or later?
General Manager, Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority
Our environmental impact study is from 2009-2010, and I can certainly provide it to the secretary of the committee. It talks about the idling of vehicles.
NDP
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
Thank you.
The Canadian and U.S. economies are so intertwined that every time our committee conducts a study, we always hear about harmonization.
Are we still talking about harmonization when it comes to border crossing security measures, or do the U.S. and Canada have a common project that would allow them to move in the same direction, hand in hand?
Regional Director General, Southern Ontario Region, Canada Border Services Agency
I believe you're referring to harmonization of our programs. Is that fair to say?
Regional Director General, Southern Ontario Region, Canada Border Services Agency
We have various programs that we are harmonized on. Sorry...?
NDP
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
Yes, it is harmonization, but my question was more about whether Canada and the United States are sitting down together, not to harmonize their existing laws, but to develop the agenda for the future.
