The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it has intercepted hundreds of suspected fake COVID-19 test results and vaccination records from people trying to enter the country.
As of Oct. 31, border officials had encountered 374 suspected falsified COVID-19 test results at ports of entry — 160 at airports and 187 at land crossings — and intercepted 92 suspected fake proof-of-vaccination credentials, a spokesperson for the agency told CBC.
The agency did not provide a breakdown of the cases, the specific ports of entry or the possible countries of origin of the fraudulent documents.
People cross the U.S.-Canadian border after Canada opened the border to vaccinated Americans in Blaine, Wash., on Aug. 9, 2021. (David Ryder/Reuters)
Because they have right of entry, Canadians who enter with fake COVID-19-related records are still allowed into the country, but border officials then pass on their information to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), which has ability to investigate and issue fines. Non-Canadians could be denied entry.
A number of cases are being investigated by PHAC, which issued seven fines for suspected falsified or fraudulent COVID-19 test results between Jan. 6 to Nov. 12, that agency said. PHAC said it also issued two fines for suspected falsified or fraudulent proof of vaccination credentials between July 6 and Nov. 12.
International travellers who wish to enter Canada and are not exempt from vaccine requirements must show proof of vaccination and, unless they are re-entering the country within 72 hours of leaving, a negative COVID-19 molecular test result.
Lorian Hardcastle, a health policy expert at the University of Calgary, said she’s glad the CBSA is picking up on fake documents at the border but still has concerns.
“I do wonder what percentage that segment represents of the total number of people who are coming in without being vaccinated and/or tested,” Hardcastle said.
She said it’s important to have a clear sense of the vaccination status of people entering the country as new variants continue to emerge.
Epidemiologist Cynthia Carr with Winnipeg-based EPI Research Inc., said the CBSA numbers are problematic.
“For every person that is not protected, they are creating enhanced risk for themselves, obviously,” Carr said. “But not protected and then travelling to other countries — you’re bringing that risk back and forth.”
Cynthia Carr is an epidemiologist based in Winnipeg who says the virus can continue to adapt when there are groups of people in the world who are unprotected. (Google Meet)
False documents
Shabnam Preet Kaur, a forensic document examiner with Toronto-based Docufraud Canada, said technology can easily allow people to create a falsified document.
“You just have to download these softwares, for example, Photoshop, and you can just do all the editing as per your convenience,” she said.
“Whatever you need to change in a document, you can do it in less than five minutes.”
Kaur said it is not difficult to manipulate PDF vaccine certificates.
“I would suggest [the] QR code method is really safer as compared to the PDF of certificates,” she said.
The fine for making false or misleading statements to a quarantine, screening or environmental health officer is $825 plus applicable provincial fees and taxes, the Public Health Agency of Canada says. (Erik White/CBC )
CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said the agency works closely with domestic and international partners to detect and intercept fraudulent documents.
In a statement, Purdy said the CBSA does not disclose details of specific targeting, enforcement and investigative techniques.
She said the agency uses technology to determine the authenticity of documents and extensively trains border services officers who examine physical vaccination receipts and records.
Enforcement efforts
Hardcastle said enforcement is vital, particularly as variants develop around the globe.
“We need to keep those enforcement efforts up and make sure that we are weeding out as many fraudulent and falsified records as possible,” she said.
The fine for making false or misleading statements to a quarantine, screening or environmental health officer is $825 plus applicable provincial fees and taxes, PHAC said, while travellers who present false documents could see an additional $5,000 fine.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
