THUNDER BAY – Crime – A  CBSA Border Security Officer has been dismissed. The officer, who was working at the Pigeon River point of entry was terminated after an investigation by the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada. On May 11, 2012, the Office received a protected disclosure of wrongdoing pertaining to the actions of two Border Services Officers (Officers) and senior management of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at the Pigeon River point of entry located near Thunder Bay, Ontario. 

CBSA Border Security Officer investigated

After a careful review and detailed analysis of the information provided by the discloser, the Office initiated an investigation to determine whether the allegations were founded. Upon conclusion of the investigation, it was established that one of the allegations related to only one of the Officers was founded.

No wrongdoing was identified on the part of CBSA senior management or of the other Officer.

Findings

The investigation found that:

• A Border Services Officer seriously breached the CBSA’s Code of Conduct and theValues and Ethics Code for the Public Service by:
  • not conducting secondary examinations on individuals that had “look-outs” (surveillance reports) issued against them due to his affiliation with them, thus renouncing his enforcement responsibilities and failing to fulfill one of his core duties;
  • identifying himself as a Border Services Officer to police officers during a police operation that resulted in the arrest of two of his acquaintances; and
  • affiliating himself with known organized crime figures in Thunder Bay who operate throughout Canada and are international in scope, which rendered him unable to perform his duties in an objective manner and could potentially harm the CBSA’s reputation.

Commissioner’s Recommendations

In accordance with the Act, the Commissioner made two recommendations to the President of CBSA concerning the measures to be taken to prevent this type of wrongdoing from recurring. 

The Commissioner is satisfied with President’s response to the recommendations and with the measures taken to date by the CBSA to address the wrongdoing identified in the Case Report, including the Officer’s dismissal.