<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">
	<channel>
		<title>Border Entertainment</title>
		<link>http://www.borderentertainment.com</link>
		<description>Current News entries</description>
				<item>
			<title><![CDATA[ARRIVING AIR PASSENGERS MAY FACE ARMED BORDER GUARDS]]></title>
			<link>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/18</link>
			<guid>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/18</guid>
			<pubDate>Thu, 25 Nov 2010 14:41:33 +0000</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
			<description><![CDATA[
			Postmedia News - Ottawa - November 25, 2010Air passengers in Canada could soon confront amed airport border guards after having already cleared a full-body pat-down in a spearate screening room.Federal authorities say they are consideirng arming the airport border guards who greet travellers arriving on international flights.The Canada Border Service Agency wants to review the risks faced by frontline, uniformed guards at major airports &quot;and the threat of bodily harm or death to them or to travllers in the area&quot;, says a request for proposal posted Tuesday for an independent study of the issue.The CBSA began arming its 4800 land border and marin port guards and inland enforcement officers in August 2007.   Airport guards who inspect inernational passengers for customs, tax and immigration compliance, were excluded because CBSA believe the presence of police in air terminals and prior security screening of the arriving passengers countered any need for guns.But based on &quot;feedback recevied from employees and manager&quot; that reasoning is now being reassessed &quot;with a view to determining whether...(they) should carry firearms&quot; says the call for poposals.&quot;Officers sometimes find themselves in situations where they msut deal with aggressive behaviour on the part of the public,&quot; it explains.  &quot;This behaviour may include anything from threatening gestures during primary questioning to an unprovoked assault.&quot;There is a public expectation that they will hav ethe training and tools necessary to safely carry out their mandate.&quot; ]]></description>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Canada Customs Inquistions]]></title>
			<link>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/17</link>
			<guid>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/17</guid>
			<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:06:54 +0000</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
			<description><![CDATA[
			The Globe and MailAugust 23, 2010 &nbsp;When Marie-Claude Lortie, a food critic for La Presse, returned home from a family trip to France and Italy, she told the customs officer she was carrying more bottles of wine than the limit of two per adult. She was expecting to be asked for the receipts and charged for the taxes. But instead of being treated like a law-abiding citizen, she and her whole family – her husband and three young exhausted children – were subjected to an aggressive search. Looking for the few bottles of Merlot and Sangiovese, the gloved officer rampaged through panties, stuffed animals and dirty jeans as if the family were guilty of illicit trafficking.When Ms. Lortie wrote about this in La Presse, her inbox was flooded with e-mails from readers who’d suffered the same experience. Each time they declared something over the limit, their baggage would automatically go through what’s called “a secondary search.” Many readers confessed that, at some point, they stopped declaring anything and just tried their luck.The same thing happened to me some years ago. When the customs officer asked whether I had any meat, I told him I was carrying a few tins of foie gras – in sealed metal cans, I specified. My card was instantly marked for the search, but I was luckier than Ms. Lortie. Since the waiting line was extremely long, a supervisor asked everyone what they were there for and, when I told him what I was carrying, he laughed and let me go.Canada’s inquisitorial customs system – run by agents who have more power over peaceful citizens than police officers – takes the breath away. The police can’t search you without a warrant and can’t force you to answer questions without the presence of your lawyer. Customs officers can subject you to arbitrary physical searches and ask you all sorts of invasive questions. “What was the purpose of your trip?” “Were you visiting friends or staying in a hotel?” As a friend once quipped, “Going through customs is the only moment when a Canadian can imagine he lives in a police state.”One of the e-mails Ms. Lortie received came from a customs officer. After defending the system, she asked Ms. Lortie: “Anyway, why did you have to buy so many bottles of wine?”In countries run by authoritarian regimes, it’s no surprise when travellers are subjected to such intensive scrutiny; gouging visitors, after all, is a common practice. All countries have rules regarding what you bring in, but searches are selective and usually involve people suspected of carrying drugs or arms. I have travelled to countless foreign countries and have never been asked what I was carrying in my luggage.North America is a free-trade zone. Our customs system is a relic from an era when Canada wanted to protect local industries from foreign competition. Nowadays, it has no other purpose than to generate extra revenue. It’s nothing but an arm of the Canadian tax collector.Common sense calls for the abolition of limits to innocuous goods that ordinary citizens buy abroad. In 2005, a Senate committee suggested – to no avail – a limit of $2,000, including tobacco and alcohol, notwithstanding the duration of the trip. Such a measure would eliminate bureaucratic hassle and wouldn’t force honest citizens to lie for fear of being searched like potential criminals.If Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants to limit his government’s intrusion into Canadians’ lives, he should take a hard look at our customs system. It would certainly be better than tinkering with the census.]]></description>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Big Valley Jamboree, Camrose AB]]></title>
			<link>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/16</link>
			<guid>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/16</guid>
			<pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:53:09 +0000</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
			<description><![CDATA[
			As most of you have heard by now, Big Valley Jamboree, suffered a terrible disaster, an Act of God, that demolished the main stage.  The Plow winds that came in full force was upon so fast, and it took only seconds to destroy a life and injure many.I suppose I am writing this, as I watch the local news and I hear some BVJ'ers claim that we coud have been warned, that the organizers did not give us any time to take cover.   They gave us as much time as they possibly could  Follow the timeline that is posted on the news, they got the warning and two minutes later they were on stage evacuating.   Environment Canada has stated they thought it would be 20 minutes before the storm hit, they were mistaken.  The winds were travelling 20 km per hour, faster than normal.  Kevin Costner's Agent stated that the only time they knew that it was collapsing is when it collapsed. I have been attending for several years, and personally know the organizers of this event and they have always put the well being of the patrons and the various organizations that contribute to make this event a safe and successful one.   I think instead of criticzing their management style, that we should be praising them, their staff, OBO Security, Premier Global staff, all the people we are not aware of that got people off the stage, and saved many lives.  and yes sadly, Ms. Donna Moore, lost her life, but how many lives would have been lost, if these people were not there doing their job and evacuating the stage.My husband and I were right there in the middle of it, and I am not embarassed to say, that I actually thought that our time had come, but not once did I ever think then or even now, that the organizers of this event did not do everything in their power to keep all of us safe.   We were sitting in our seats and aroud 5:30 we decided to leave before Billy Currington finished his set, to get some dinner.   As we were sitting eating our dinner about 150' from the main stage, the VIP tent started shaking wildly, and people started rushing out the exits.  We looked out where a panel had gone down, and the stage was gone.   In tooks seconds for this &quot;wind&quot; to destroy evertyhing.   My husband had the good sense not to follow the crowds out of the tent immediately, we hung back close to the edge, as if the tent was going, we thouht we could crawl out.  All our friends that attended this event were lucky, and spared from this wrath.  We were only 150 ' away from the main stage, but that wind, had only one target in mind, and it was main stage.I want to thank all the people who have called us, as they know we attend Big Valley Jamboree, every year, to insure that we are safe.   Thank you for thinking of us and caring.  I also want to say to Ms Moore's family, that our prayers are with you.   Glen and Larry and their staff, you have a terrible job ahead of you and are in our thoughts.&nbsp;&nbsp;]]></description>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title><![CDATA[ARE YOU READY FOR JUNE 1 2009]]></title>
			<link>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/15</link>
			<guid>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/15</guid>
			<pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:26:41 +0000</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
			<description><![CDATA[
			ENTERING THE UNITED STATES As of June 1, 2009, under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), Canadian citizens will be required to present one of the following valid documents when entering the United States by car or boat: (this rule is already in effect for air travel)    + a passport    + a NEXUS card    + a Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card     + an enhanced driver's licence/enahanced identification card (in provinces or territories where they are available).&nbsp;ENTERING CANADA When you enter Canada, a border services officer may ask to see your passport and a valid visa (if you are arriving from a country from which one is required). If you are a U.S. citizen, you do not need a passport to enter Canada; however, you should carry proof of your citizenship such as a birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship or naturalization or a Certificate of Indian Status, as well as a photo ID. If you are a permanent resident of the United States, you must bring your permanent resident card (i.e. green card) with you. ]]></description>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Motivational Speaker stopped at border on way to give talk about drugs]]></title>
			<link>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/14</link>
			<guid>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/14</guid>
			<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:03:53 +0000</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
			<description><![CDATA[
			Edmonton Journal August 19, 2008&quot;If you come in five times it doesn't necessarily mean that just because you came in last time that you would be allowed to come in this time,&quot; Lisa White, Canada Border Service Agency spokeswoman said. &quot;It's all dependent on what is presented to us.&quot;  A former methamphetamine addict scheduled to speak in Hobbema about the dangers of drug use two days after a gang-related murder on the Samsom First Nation reerve was stopped at the border Sunday.David Parnell, who used the drugs for seven years and now tells his story as a motiviational speaker, planned to travel from Tennessee to speak at Erneskine Junior/Senior High School.Parnell has spoken more than a dozen times in Canada since 2004, but when he arrived in Calgary from Nashville on Sunday morning, Canadian border guards stopped him due to his criminal record.Parnell said he had planned to make eight presentations to adults and youths in the community, which has been plagued by drug-related gang violence.&quot;I try to give people hope, if they can't recover.  I try to get kids so then dont even start,&quot; Parnell said fromthe Minneapolis airport, where he was waiting for a connecting flight back to Nashville.Parnell 41, said he has a handful of criminal charges from when he was in his 20's, including assault and public intoxication.  He also spent four months in jail in 1994 for possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.Parnell said he realised the border services officer was just dong her job, but he was upset and shocked when he was not allowed into the country.&quot;I told her I had already paid my price.  I had done my time,&quot; he said.Canada Border Service Agency spokeswoman Lisa White, said a criminal record doesn't necessarily mean someone will be deined entry into Canada, since border officers assess applications on a case by case basis.The onus is on the travellers to ensure they meet all entry requirements she said, adding that anyone with a criminal record should check with the Canadian Consulate in their home country before coming to Canada. ]]></description>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Man 39 fled in stolen car]]></title>
			<link>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/13</link>
			<guid>http://www.borderentertainment.com/news/13</guid>
			<pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2008 23:25:00 +0000</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
			<description><![CDATA[
			May 16, 2008 Calgary HeraldA Calgary man has landed in jail after fleeing from the border in a stolen car while trying to return to Canada from the United States. Provincial court Judge Barbara Veldhuis handed a 30 day sentence Thursday to Terry Norman Wingert, 39, who pleaded guilty to hindering a customs officer.&quot;This is the highest sentence ever handed down in Alberta for this offence,&quot; said Lisa White, spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency.&quot;If you don't stop, it is a criminal offence.  He left the port of enty without authorization.&quot;Crown prosecutor Roch Dupont said Wingert tried to cross the Carway border, south of Cardston on Dec. 8.He drove away while being processed, but was arrested a short distance from the border. White said Border Services works closely with other federal agencies, such as the RCMP, and were able to nab the fleeing man.Dupont said the vehicle Wingert was driving was registered to a Lethbridge address and had been reported stolen. ]]></description>
		</item>
			</channel>
</rss> 
<!-- Generated in 0.784901 seconds by CMS Made Simple using 9 SQL queries -->
<!-- CMS Made Simple - Released under the GPL - http://cmsmadesimple.org -->
