Menu

cbsa

48614589533_416d27c915_b

Text, Email & Phone Scams Target Potential ArriveCAN Users

, , , , , ,

Canadians continue to be targeted through the Canada Border Services Agency.

Be wary of an errant email, text or phone scam where an individual claims to be from the CBSA.

They’ll ask for your personal information including your SIN and then a payment.

With the delivery of the scam always changing, citizens are always reminded to be on the look out for things that are out of place or unexpected, but these scams are always a means to swindle money and to lure the recipient into giving out highly personal information.

The CBSA stated in a release that as an agency, they will never initiate a request for a social insurance number or credit card information by telephone or email.

Victims are to not engage and report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

There are also instances of fake ArriveCAN pages asking for payment. The ArriveCAN app is free and a product of the Government of Canada. It’s the platform to provide your mandatory information before and after entering Canada. An application for an Electronic Travel Authorization can only be made and paid for through the official Government of Canada website.

An eTA is electronically linked to a traveler’s passport and costs $7 CAD.

border-bridge

Tentative Deal Reached With Border Service Workers

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Strike action has ended after a tentative deal was reached between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and Customs and Immigration Union and the Canada Border Services Agency.

The four year tentative deal was reached late Friday night.

In a news release, PSAC National President Chris Aylward says, “We are relieved that CBSA and the government finally stepped up to address the most important issues for our members to avoid a prolonged labour dispute.”

Conditions of the deal include an average pay increase of over two per cent per year, retroactive to 2018, a better grievance-handling process, and the creation of a National Joint Committee to tackle workplace culture problems at CBSA.”

Work-to-rule strike action began at 7am Friday morning.

Negotiations between PSAC-CIU and CBSA began in January 2019 but reached an impasse in December 2020. National strike votes were held in June and July 2021, and PSAC-CIU announced issued an official strike notice on August 3.

CIU National President Mark Weber says. “Finally, after three years of negotiations, we’ve resolved longstanding issues that will go a long way towards making CBSA a better, safer place to work for our members.”

The border into Canada from the United States is scheduled to re-open on August 9th to fully vaccinated U.S. travellers.

CanadaUS-Border-

UPDATE: Negotiations Continue As CBSA Workers Begin Job Action

, , , , , , , , ,

Contract negotiations continue between the union representing Canada Border Services Agency workers and the federal government.

It comes as nearly 9,000 members across the country began work-to-rule action at 6 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday.

The unions representing the workers served strike notice to the federal government earlier this week.

They warn that travellers should expect long lineups and lengthy delays at border crossings and airports.

Employees want better protections against what they describe as toxic workplace culture and greater parity with other law enforcement agencies. They have been without a contract for more than three years.

The sweeping job action comes just days before the Canadian border is set to reopen to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens next Monday.

3333523138_b5d44ea199

CBSA Workers To Begin Job Action Friday

, , , , , , , , , ,

Nearly 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency workers are prepared to begin job action on Friday at 6 a.m. unless a new contract is negotiated.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) said they served strike notice to the government on Tuesday.

The unions warn of lengthy delays at border crossings and airports for travellers and commercial traffic entering Canada.

“We truly hoped we wouldn’t be forced to take strike action, but we’ve exhausted every other avenue to reach a fair contract with the government,” said Chris Aylward, Public Service Alliance of Canada national president in a news release.

Work-to-rule strike activity will affect all Canadian airports, land borders, commercial shipping ports, postal facilities and headquarters locations.

The move will cause disruptions at the border as Canada prepares to welcome travellers from the U.S. on August 9.

Unionized employees with PSAC have been without a contract for over three years.
Employees seek better protections against a toxic workplace culture and greater parity with other law enforcement agencies across Canada.

4629119005_7df83d3927_b-1

CBSA Workers, Federal Government Resume Negotiations

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Negotiations have resumed between unionized Canada Border Services Agency workers and the federal government.

It comes just days after union reps announced that members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

Among other things, employees are seeking better protections against what they describe as toxic workplace culture.

They also want greater parity with other law enforcement agencies across Canada and a fair remote working policy for non-uniform members.

The more than 8,500 unionized members can legally take strike action on Aug. 6, just days before the Canadian border is set to reopen to fully vaccinated U.S. travellers.

Union officials have said any sort of labour dispute could cause significant disruptions to the flow of goods, services and people entering Canada.

4629119005_7df83d3927_b

CBSA Workers Vote In Favour Of Strike Action

, , , , , , , , , , ,

The reopening of the Canada-U.S. border in August may not be as smooth as some are hoping for.

More than 8,500 Canada Border Services Agency workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

The employees are members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU).

“This is not something that we want,” Mark Weber, CIU national president, said about the looming potential of strike action.

CBSA employees could potentially begin strike action as soon as Aug. 6 — three days before the Canadian border will be reopened to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens.

Weber said any sort of labour dispute could cause significant disruptions at the border, especially as it prepares to reopen.

“A slow-down of traffic and travellers is a possibility, courier and mail could be slowed down, there are a lot of different ways we could go,” he said. “Our strategy committee is talking about which direction we want to take or a little bit of all of them or it could be different at every port.”

Weber said one of the chief concerns for members is better protection against toxic workplace culture at CBSA, which he said is taking a heavy toll on the mental health and well-being of members.

“We work in some very toxic workplaces at the CBSA so we want better protections and better whistleblower protections for that,” he said.

CBSA has consistently been near the bottom of the Public Service Employee Survey for many years and has ranked highest in terms of incidents of discrimination, harassment and workplace violence, according to Weber.

Members are also seeking greater parity with other law enforcement agencies across Canada and a fair remote working policy for non-uniform members

Chris Aylward, PSAC national president, said now is the time for the government to step up for CBSA members the way they have stepped up for Canadians during the pandemic.

“We’ve told the government numerous times that we’re ready to return to the table to negotiate a fair contract that addresses our members’ concerns, but their window to avert a strike is quickly closing,” said Aylward.

2018-newsroom-47-1

CBSA Warn Of New Scam

,

The Canada Border Services Agency is warning the public about an on-going scam.

People have been posing as CBSA agents by phone, texts or emails, and asking for personal information, including Social Insurance Numbers and credit card numbers.

In some cases the phone calls may display numbers and employee names that appear to be from the CBSA; the emails may display CBSA logos, email addresses or employee names and titles.

The agency says the CBSA would never ask for SIN’s or credit card information by phone or email.

The calls and emails should be ignored, and reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

CBSA_Badge-1

Contract Talks Continue Between CBSA and PSAC

, , ,

Contract talks involving the union representing officers with Canada Border Services Agency will resume in September.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada and federal negotiators met yesterday and Wednesday in the latest round of talks.

In an update, PSAC says they did reach agreement on compensation for the Agency’s dog handlers.

Vacation leave, medical notes, student workers and firearm practice time were also a piece of discussion.

Officers just signed a new deal last July covering 2014 to 2018 which brought their wages on par with other police services.