South Shore- St. Margarets MP Rick Perkins says the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) is failing to live up to promises made to communities with international ports of entry.
While speaking in the legislature last Friday, Perkins said that communities with ports of entry were told their ports would reopen when international travel restrictions were lifted.
“A letter from the CBSA which was sent to the Mayor of Shelburne was recently shared with me, and in it, the minister at the time promised him that the port would reopen as soon as normal travel resumed,” Perkins said.
With restrictions being lifted on February 8, Perkins is wondering what’s causing the delay, “Seven of Nova Scotia’s ports of entry have already reopened, unfortunately, Lunenburg and Shelburne remain closed, which means cruise ships or international pleasure crafts have to either enter the country in Yarmouth or Halifax.”
Perkins says any further delays will hurt businesses in his riding, “We get a lot of folks sailing up from the states this time of year, but with them unable to enter in Lunenburg or Shelburne it drives our tourists elsewhere.”
The issue isn’t isolated to Nova Scotia, with Perkins saying many of his colleagues near the Great Lakes are seeing similar delays.
Perkins intends to speak with Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, who oversees CBSA about when the communities in his riding can expect their ports to reopen.
CBSA did not respond to our request for comment prior to publication.
