Tory MLAs ask Manitoba to fight to keep border crossings open later

PC MLAs representing several border communities are asking the province to step in after the federal government announced significant reductions to border hours at multiple border crossings earlier this year.

“We all know criminals don’t just operate from 9 to 5,” Turtle Mountain MLA Doyle Piwniuk said in a media release.

“So why isn’t the premier fighting to keep these border crossings open in the evening to deter illegal activity, and ensure vital cross-border access and services are maintained for communities near the border?”

Several PC MLAs representing ridings along the Manitoba-U.S. border announced they have sent a letter urging Premier Wab Kinew and the NDP government to take “immediate action” against federal cuts that will reduce operating hours at a dozen ports of entry in southern Manitoba beginning next month.

Last month, the federal government announced they would change hours of operations at border crossings across the country, as they try to stay in line with their U.S. counterparts.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will now adjust hours of service at a total of 35 land ports of entry, as of 12:01 a.m. (local time) on Jan. 6, including at 12 ports in Manitoba and six in Saskatchewan that will all have reduced hours of operation.

According to the MLAs, the cuts will come while they say “illegal border activity” is on the rise in Manitoba.

“These cuts coincide with alarming increases in illegal border activity. In the first 10 months of 2024, illegal crossings soared by 14%, according to the CBSA,” the MLAs said.

Crossings in Manitoba that will have reduced hours are Cartwright, Coulter, Crystal City, Goodlands, Gretna, Lena, Piney, Snowflake, South Junction, Tolstoi, Windygates and Winkler.

“Border security is already an issue in southern Manitoba, and these cuts will make it worse,” Borderland MLA Josh Guenter said. “We need stronger security measures at the border to stop human traffickers, illegal migrants, and drug smugglers.

“Our communities deserve to be safe.”

The MLAs say they also worry about what effects the reduced border hours will have on the Manitoba economy, and on the flow of people and goods in southern Manitoba.

“The proposed cuts threaten the economic and social fabric of Manitoba border communities,” the MLAs said. “Thousands of Manitobans rely on evening access to border crossings for business, essential services, and community events.

“The free flow of goods and services is critical to southern Manitoba’s economy.”

A spokesperson for the province said “our government continues to urge the federal government to listen to Manitobans who use crossings to access essential services, businesses that sell their goods to those down south, or families who will be separated from one another,” in a statement emailed on Tuesday.

“With an incoming Trump administration, a secure border is more important than ever, which is why we have taken the lead over the last few months to organize a plan, by enlisting the help of conservation officers and motor carrier enforcement offers in developing a plan to patrol the border, in addition to asking the federal government to redeploy RCMP officers.”

Crossings at Gretna and Tolstoi are currently open daily until 10 p.m., but as of Jan. 6 will close daily at 6 p.m., while in Crystal City, Goodlands, Piney and Snowflake, which are all currently open until 10 p.m., crossings will stay open until 5 p.m. daily.

In Winkler, the border crossing is currently open until 10 p.m. daily, but will close at 8 p.m. daily beginning on Jan. 6.

This story was originally published in The Winnipeg Sun. It is republished under a Creative Commons license as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.