RCMP changes operations, patrols border for 1st time after Trump pushes for heightened security

Jason Viau · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

RCMP officers at the Windsor, Ont., detachment person been patrolling the Canada-U.S. borderline successful ways they've ne'er done earlier since U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for increased information betwixt the neighbouring countries.

Beginning successful December, Const. Ian Smith and galore of his much than 40 colleagues successful the southwestern Ontario metropolis person been spending their 12-hour shifts driving on astir 800 kilometres of coastline betwixt Tobermory, done Sarnia, up on the Detroit River and backmost astir to Port Burwell, conscionable southeast of London.

"We're looking for thing suspicious successful regards to radical oregon contraband, drugs, commodities coming into Canada oregon leaving Canada illegally," said Smith.

Canada announced its $1.3-billion border security program successful December pursuing Trump's concerns over the travel of drugs and migrants. Ottawa asked the RCMP to "secure the border," Smith said.

In the archetypal 4 months of these patrols, helium said, it hasn't truly yielded much, successful part because the waterways aren't precise progressive successful acold weather.

But Smith said this benignant of enactment is hard to quantify.

"We're retired present each time doing this successful bid to deter, truthful if we're not catching them, hopefully it's due to the fact that we're deterring it," said Smith.

"There's 800 kilometres [of coastline], truthful however bash we patrol that constantly, each the time? It's impossible," helium added.

In January, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced Operation Deterrence, which joined forces with the RCMP to heighten borderline security. Two 100 OPP officers are dedicated to the bound betwixt some countries.

"A much co-ordinated, Team Canada attack that includes much boots connected the crushed is the lone mode to detect, deter and disrupt amerciable activity, and guarantee the information and information of Canadian and American communities," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford successful a January quality release.

RCMP helicopters present patrolling border

To assistance with the immense magnitude of coastline being covered connected the ground, the RCMP besides precocious enactment officers successful helicopters.

The past time RCMP officers saw amerciable enactment on waterways successful southwestern Ontario progressive quality smuggling successful September connected the St. Clair River, Smith said.

During Smith's 9 years with the RCMP in Windsor, helium spent the bulk of that clip moving down the scenes connected cause investigations.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) would discover drugs astatine the border. Then, the RCMP would analyse wherever they came from and where they were going successful bid to marque further arrests and seizures.

Now, RCMP officers are spending a batch of clip patrolling the borderline portion continuing to behaviour those investigations.

Officers inspect trucks heading to U.S. for 1st time

Another caller facet for the RCMP astatine the borderline is its engagement with inspecting commercialized trucks leaving Canada and heading to the U.S. astatine the Ambassador Bridge.

Philie is a four-year-old German Shepherd that's trained to observe fentanyl. It's 1 of lone a fewer dogs with that capableness successful Ontario and has been with the RCMP for astir a twelvemonth now.

For the CBSA, it has had the authorization to question outbound drivers and inspect their vehicles since 2019.

However, a spokesperson didn't say however often that's been done and if these outbound searches person accrued successful caller months.

"In general, outbound examinations are targeted and selective based connected indicators," said CBSA senior spokesperson Rebecca Purdy.

Purdy besides pointed to Operation Blizzard, which launched past month and tries to intercept amerciable goods coming into Canada oregon leaving the country. That inaugural focuses connected fentanyl and different narcotics, she said.