Pubdate: Wed, 13 May 2015
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Authors: Kim Bolan, Rob Shaw, and Jeff Lee
Page: A6

OTTAWA MUM IN FACE OF CALLS TO CLEAN UP THE PORT

Politicians at all levels say the federal government must deal with
organized crime on the waterfront

Politicians at all levels of government called on the federal
Conservatives to do more to make Port Metro Vancouver secure after a
Vancouver Sun series revealed the criminal links of some working on
the waterfront.

Federal Liberal MP David McGuinty said Tuesday that The Sun's stories
demonstrate "there is clearly a continuing problem."

"It is the biggest port in the country," said the Ottawa South MP and
Liberal transport critic. "If it's speaking to drugs and crime and
organized crime, the question then becomes whether it speaks to our
national security as well."

The Sun investigation revealed that at least 27 Hells Angels,
associates, criminals and other gangsters are working on the docks of
Port Metro Vancouver. And The Sun obtained government and police
documents that show an unaddressed organized crime problem on the
waterfront dating back more than 20 years.

McGuinty said Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney and Transport
Minister Lisa Raitt "have some explaining to do."

"What else is coming through or can come through the port based on a
number of the reports that have been laid out by you?" McGuinty said.

Raitt's press secretary Zach Segal said "we are going to decline your
request for an interview." Blaney could not be reached for comment.

NDP MP and public safety critic Randall Garrison, who represents
Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca on Vancouver Island, said the problems
identified by The Sun were predicted when the Ports Police was
disbanded by the federal Liberal government in 1997.

"The government talks crime and cuts the budget every year," he said,
noting cuts to the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency in recent
years.

In terms of policing the ports, Garrison said, "there's really nobody
dedicated to this task."

NDP Surrey-Newton MP Jinny Sims recently wrote to Blaney about how few
shipping containers arriving at the port are screened. She said she
hasn't received a response.

"I was quite shocked when I found that there weren't the kind of
checks done on containers that we see at airports of goods," she said
Tuesday.

B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the province has no
jurisdiction over Port Metro Vancouver.

"We're certainly keenly following this particular issue and
encouraging the federal government to do everything they can with the
tools and enforcement options they have available to themselves,"
Stone said. "Certainly we expect and understand the federal
authorities are in the midst of investigations to get to the root of
what exactly what is the extent of the criminal activity that's taking
place."

NDP MLA and justice critic Mike Farnworth said "to me what's important
is that government's doing everything it can to make sure people who
are working in particular areas of high sensitivity have a very clean
record and have no criminal record whatsoever."

"I think the federal government needs to take a very close look at
this. Obviously we know that smuggling goes on through the port system
and we want to make sure that's not happening because this is the
entry point to the country."

He said while the province doesn't technically have jurisdiction, "we
are the ones spending money at the provincial level in terms of
fighting drugs, in terms of dealing with the gang wars, in terms of
the consequences of illegal contraband or illegal narcotics coming
through the port.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson also said the loss of the federal
Ports Police has contributed to the problems.

"The federal government eliminated the Ports Police and pushed it over
to the VPD. The funding dried up for that," Robertson said. "It is a
challenging arena for policing and security and based on The Vancouver
Sun reports there is lots of room for improvement.

"Certainly Vancouver needs to have good, effective security at all of
our points of entry, whether it is YVR or the port. We rely on Port
Metro Vancouver, the federal government and the police to work
together jointly to make sure the port is safe and smuggling
activities are cut down."

Mike Toddington headed the Ports Police in Vancouver before it was
shut down. He said Tuesday The Sun's stories lay out exactly what he
predicted would happen back in 1997. He and his officers patrolled the
docks day and night then and had a good handle on the activity and the
people. "There is not the authority there that there was with the
Ports Police," he said. "The Ports Police had the ability to stop and
identify people and also to search any pack or vehicle. Other police
don't have that."
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