NEW JOINT FACILITY AT OROVILLE-OSOYOOS BORDER CROSSING SHARED RIGHT DOWN
THE LINE

There was no talk of softwood lumber tariffs or Canadian cattle embargoes
at the Oroville-Osoyoos Port of Entry last Thursday afternoon. In fact the
key word for the day (and the entire project) was co-operation; any sense
of strained relations simply did not exist.

But this is not surprising since the occasion was meant to recognize a
two-year, three-phase joint initiative that has culminated in a new, shared
border facility. Thursday, October 9 marked the official opening and
dedication ceremony for the state of the art building and there was much
pomp and circumstance along with mutual international pride as both sides
of parallel 49 celebrated the end result of their collaborative effort.

A large contingent of Canadian and US dignitaries, as well as the general
public welcomed the new US$31 million facility. Keynote speakers for the
event were Federal Minister of National Revenue, Elinor Caplan who heads
the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, and Stephen Perry, Administrator of
the US General Services Administration, a presidential appointment.

Mary Marchand of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and
Modesta Betterton of the Osoyoos Indian Band gave the blessing; Betterton
spoke in Okanagan, her first language, as well as English. Both anthems
were sung, both flags were interspersed along the stage; it was a seamless
blending of both countries. Or at least one was a mirror image of the other
and this theme, prominent throughout the ceremonial part of the dedication,
also could be seen in the design, layout and function of the building.
Minister Caplan recognized and applauded both the building and the
partnership that brought it to fruition. "This is the first time that
Canada and the United States have shared a large commercial port facility,"
she noted, "This site exemplifies the partnership between [the two
countries] and our commitment to ensure that our shared border is efficient
and secure."

Explaining the history of how "we've reached this point" Caplan said that
in the 1980's and early 1990's, "three smaller-scale common border
facilities were built, including the Carson/Danville crossing by Grand
Forks" but nothing quite on this level. "In 1995, the Canada-United States
Accord on our Shared Border was signed by our leaders, allowing us to
expand the scope of our sharing."

And it is quite a scope, one that fits in with both the US Department of
Homeland Security mandate to secure the border against terrorists, and the
efficient processing of over 500,000 travellers that pass through each year.

The 89,000 square foot facility, designed by Washington State architect,
James Cutler is meant to incorporate features from the Valley: the concrete
building panels reflecting cold storage units at the packing houses and the
sloping steel roof representing local hay fields.

Under the roof, which is 12 metres high at its apex and joins the buildings
on either side, is a second level walkway that is a "quarter mile long",
and the four buildings beneath it comprise an area that equates "two
football fields" says US project manager, Mike Nuremberger.

While the walkway also houses offices and joint facilities such as
conference, lunch and exercise rooms what lies beneath should strike fear
in anyone planning to outfox customs officials. "We want to ensure economic
viability and recognize that there is mostly legitimate tourism going back
and forth across the border," says Nuremberger, but points out that they
are also equipped to handle drug smuggling, illegal aliens, and terrorist
activity.

Trained dogs are on hand to sit quietly beside anyone who is carrying
drugs, and an area that looks like a service bay at an automotive repair
shop, is ready to assist with the thorough inspection of suspect vehicles.
On the US side there will be a gamma X-ray machine capable of examining
large transport trucks and all their contents.

Both sides have bus passenger processing areas including luggage scans much
like the customs area at an international airport. Prior to this customs
officers boarded the vehicle and searches were done by hand. But things
have changed significantly from the days when a set of undeclared sheets in
a golf bag was the major cause for concern for both officer and traveller.

Staff has "more than doubled on the US side since the terrorist attacks two
years ago," comments Nuremberger, adding that now there is more opportunity
for better enforcement.

However the border here is also a conduit for a large tourism element and
six lanes, two of which stay open 24 hours, are meant to speed up the
process for that sector. Separate truck lanes also increase efficient movement.

The buildings also represent a strong effort to meet Kyoto accord standards
when it comes to energy efficiency. The heating and cooling systems are a
Ground Source Heat Pump Energy System, which is the first of its kind to be
used at any Canada Customs facility. It provides "energy savings, reduction
in emission and uses renewable energy resources." There are over six miles
of pipe used to extract heat from the ground, explains Canada's project
manager, Jerry Gluss, "[the system] will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
300 tonnes each year." He also mentions that "the electricity comes from
the US and the gas comes from Canada."

Costs for the facility also were shared. Canada's total project cost
including design, management and construction was US $11,605,000; the US
share was US $19,230,000. Both countries pay 50 per cent of the utility
services and sharing of costs for the common areas, based on the program
requirements is 40 per cent Canada, 60 per cent United States.