From: Edward R. Myers
This long-brewing issue was clearly stated in an April 2010 press release from the Canadian Convenience Stores Association (CCSA), president Dave Bryans who said, “It is imperative that the port of entry remain on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River, as it has made it much more difficult for smugglers to transport contraband into Canada. Moving the port of entry back to Cornwall Island or onto the south bank of the St. Lawrence will return the situation back to one of last spring, when contraband was flooding into Canada.”
Criminal elements on both sides of the border are crossing their fingers that the planned changes to position the Canadian Port of Entry in Massena, New York instead of where it is now in Cornwall will stick. If the plan goes ahead, the positioning of the Port of Entry to Canada will allow for virtually unfettered access by smugglers to Canada as there will be no checks of vehicles coming from Cornwall Island. Smugglers will only need to navigate an easy five minute boat ride exclusively within reserve lands onto the island to bypass both U.S. and Canadian border enforcement. In essence, it will open up a floodgate of smuggling problems for both countries as the risk and difficulty of crossings will be effectively eliminated.
