Latest news with #PointEdward
National Post
24-06-2025
- National Post
Canadian Border Services seize 187 kg of cocaine at Ontario crossing
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced Thursday that it had made 'a significant seizure' of cocaine at the Blue Water Bridge port of entry in Point Edward, Ont. Article content In a press release, the agency said that on June 12, a commercial truck arrived from the United States at the Blue Water Bridge port of entry and was referred for a secondary examination. The Blue Water Bridge connects Point Edward, Ont., with Port Huron, Mich., and lies just north of Sarnia, at the southern tip of Lake Huron. Article content During the secondary inspection of the trailer, border services officers, with the assistance of a detector dog, discovered 161 bricks of suspected cocaine in six boxes. The total weight of the suspected narcotics was 187 kg, giving it an estimated street value of $23.3 million. Article content Article content The CBSA then arrested Karamveer Singh, 27, of Brampton, Ont., and transferred him and the suspected narcotics to the custody of the RCMP. Singh has been charged with importation of cocaine, and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The investigation is ongoing. Article content 'The CBSA takes its border protection responsibilities very seriously and our officers work diligently with the RCMP to prevent smuggling across our borders,' said An Nguyen, director of St. Clair district operations for the CBSA. 'This is the fourth time a significant amount of cocaine coming from the United States was seized at the Blue Water Bridge this year.' Article content
CTV News
24-06-2025
- CTV News
$23-million cocaine bust at the Blue Water Bridge
The Canada Border Services Agency announced the seizure of $23 million worth of cocaine at the Blue Water Bridge port of entry in Point Edward, Ont. A commercial truck arrived from the United States at the Blue Water Bridge port of entry and was referred for a secondary examination on June 12. During the inspection of the trailer, border services officers, with the assistance of a detector dog, discovered 161 bricks of suspected cocaine contained in six boxes, according to the CBSA. The total weight of the suspected narcotics was 187 kg, with an estimated street value of $23.3 million. 'This is the fourth time a significant amount of cocaine coming from the United States was seized at the Blue Water Bridge this year, demonstrating the excellent work being done by our border services officers and their effectiveness in safeguarding our borders,'said An Nguyen, director of District Operations, CBSA. The CBSA arrested Karamveer Singh, 27, of Brampton, Ont., and transferred him and the suspected narcotics to the custody of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Singh has been charged by the RCMP with Importation of Cocaine, and Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act. 'This seizure underscores the vital importance of cross-agency collaboration, and highlights the fantastic work by the CBSA and the Ontario RCMP in safeguarding Canadian communities from the smuggling of illicit narcotics into Canada,' said Supt. Dale Foote, Officer in Charge of RCMP Central Region Border Integrity. The investigation is ongoing. To date this year, border services officers have seized a total of 978 kg of cocaine at Southern Ontario ports of entry.
CBC
05-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
CBRM to realize $5M benefit after outsourcing handling of recyclables, composting
Cape Breton Regional Municipality is planning to outsource the handling of recycling products and composting materials, but an official says residents will still be putting out blue bags and green bins. "Everything goes to the curb the same as it always did before," CBRM public works director John Phalen told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton. "We're just changing the way that we process it." Council voted Tuesday to gradually close down the composting facility in Sydney, N.S., at the solid waste site on Sydney Port Access Road, and to sell its recycling sorting facility in nearby Point Edward as a going concern. Phalen said both moves will save the municipality a total of about $2.5 million in annual operating costs, provide a cash injection from the sale of the recycling facility, which has been appraised at $890,000, and increase the commercial tax base once the recycling operation is sold. The recycling facility alone was costing CBRM about $1 million annually to operate, he said, adding the municipality simply wasn't able to find a market for the products collected in blue bags. In the meantime, a large company that already processes recyclables has expressed interest in purchasing the municipality's processing operation in Point Edward. "It's best for us to get out of that business and turn it over to a larger firm that can do it and maybe with the larger volumes, it makes sense … but for us it didn't make sense," said Phalen. With the province implementing extended producer responsibility — known as EPR — in January, manufacturers of packaging and other materials will be responsible for the cost of processing. The government will collect fees from producers and hand them over to processors and municipalities that collect blue bags. In addition to the savings, Phalen said CBRM expects to earn about $2.5 million for collecting blue bags, which he said will more than cover the cost. Composting facility facing repairs Closing the composting facility also makes sense, because it was facing about $1 million in repairs and upgrades and was not operating efficiently, Phalen said. Residents living nearby and shoppers at nearby retail stores regularly complained about the smell and the final product was not an agricultural grade compost, he said. The municipality regularly holds a free compost giveaway for residents and sends the rest to the landfill site in Guysborough County. Phalen said CBRM is already paying for the trucking, but processing compostables just wasn't working. "It looks better for us if we can send our compost off-island to have it processed at the landfill at Guysborough," he said. "They will do the processing for us." Unanimous vote Phalen said staff would not lose their jobs, but they would be reassigned to other duties. Between the expected revenues from EPR and operational cost savings, CBRM's bottom line is improving and councillors were unanimously in favour when Phelan recommended the changes at Tuesday's committee of the whole meeting. "You might just have to stand up there all day, because the longer you talk, the more money we're saving," said Coun. Glenn Paruch. "In all seriousness, this sounds like a great idea." Coun. Dave MacKeigan was the first to point out that the savings and new revenue add up to about $5 million a year and said that was amazing. Mayor Cecil Clarke agreed, but said there are already demands for more spending on roads, sidewalks and other projects. "When we talk savings, it's already spoken for," he said. "It's just a question of what decision.
