Alan's CBSA Resolution

http://www.alanhalberstadt.com/

That Windsor City Council urge Canada’s Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to establish a moratorium on the Canada Border Services Agency decision to locate a regional headquarters in Ft. Erie, initially resulting in the loss of 18 jobs at Windsor’s CBSA administration offices, until such time as the full disclosure of the impact on jobs, security and trade are made available to the public.


Approved unanimously on Feb. 14

Background
· On January 31, 2011 the Canada Border Services Agency announced the creation of a new southern Ontario region amalgamating the Windsor/St. Clair and Niagara/Ft. Erie regions.

· As part of this announcement the CBSA has decided that it will locate the new regional headquarter in Ft. Erie-the decision will take effect April 1st, 2011.

· This decision is part of the Federal Government’s Strategic Review Initiative that has as its goal to maximize efficiency and effectiveness in the Federal Public Service.

· In the immediate future we know that 18 positions will be affected-over time we expect that Windsor will lose up to 100 CBSA jobs both through attrition and migration.

· Sources within the CBSA suggest that Windsor was the preferred location based on empirical analysis and that the decision to locate the new HQ in Ft. Erie came from the Conservative Cabinet-Ft. Erie is located in a riding held by Conservative Cabinet Minister-Rob Nicholson.

Why Windsor is Preferable for Regional HQ
- Windsor is Canada’s busiest border checkpoint and is proceeding with a new major border infrastructure project that will dramatically increase capacity.

- Published reports indicate that Windsor is a major entry for gun, drugs and human trafficking-any reduction in administrative capacity at this point is irresponsible.

- By every metric relevant to the Strategic Review Windsor exceeds Ft. Erie:

- Present and future infrastructure commitments

DRIC
- I mpacts on staff

- More CBSA employees in Windsor than Ft. Erie

- Trade and travel volumes

- No dispute that Windsor>Ft. Erie

- Stakeholder impacts

- US a major stakeholder-how is a reduction in administrative capacity at our busiest border interpreted by our US partners in the context of addressing border thickening?

- Less capacity=less security

- Less capacity=less efficiency