WATCH ABOVE: A flurry of federal funding announcements in recent days, as Global’s Quinn Campbell reports, Lethbridge MP Jim Hillyer was in Carway to present more money to upgrade border crossings.
CARWAY, Alta. – The Carway, Alta. port of entry from the U.S. into Canada will have a whole new look within the next few years.
MP Jim Hillyer announced Thursday $440 million will go towards enhancing border crossings in Canada. That amount is in addition to $241 million the Harper government has already invested over the last five years. The government said $113.65 million of that money will go to crossings in the prairie provinces.
“It’s very exciting, it’s a great investment in maintaining our position along the border and empowering us to do what we need to do,” said acting chief of operations Steve Singer with Canada Border Services.
Construction will begin as early as 2017, with all borders brought up to operational requirements.
The Carway crossing was built in 1953 and hasn’t had any significant upgrades until now.
The same overhaul will happen at the Del Bonita crossing. In total, 77 ports of entry will be overhauled with new technology and infrastructure.
“Any use of technology that allows us to speed up our processing, to gather information, not only does it aid the traveler in getting them processed more quickly but it allows us to gather more information to make our decision,” said Singer.
On average, about 90,000 vehicles and 200,000 people cross through Carway each year. With such high volumes, Hillyer said upgrades like this are crucial when it comes to safety.
“It’s been years since it’s been done, so far we’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had any major concerns. But the world’s changing, the sophistication of people who are trying to take advantage of our open borders is increasing, so we need to make sure we are a step ahead of the bad guys.”
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