October 2019
IN THIS
ISSUE
County considers Title 20 changes, page 6
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Clothing drive to help the needy, page 8
New generation takes over at Point favorite, page 13
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“There’s a new History buffs enjoy a look at the Point’s past. sheriff in town” B y J am i M a k a n U.S. border guards are now issuing fiveyear bans to Canadians and other non-citizens at a higher rate than before, according to immigration lawyers interviewed by The Northern Light. Five-year bans, formally called expedited removals, used to be issued in cases of egregious conduct such as lying to a border guard or being caught working in the U.S. illegally. But immigration lawyers say that the bans are now being issued more liberally, including when visitors lack the right documents or are simply unaware of the rules. “I’m getting tons of cases where people come to the border and don’t have the right documents or they are naïve in what they are doing, and they get five-year bans,” said Blaine immigration lawyer Len Saunders, who noted a case in which a Canadian professional was banned from the U.S. for having a notarized, rather than an original, copy of his college degree. Saunders described a recent case in which a Canadian woman married an American man. After the wedding ceremony took place in Surrey, B.C., the two attempted to cross the border into the U.S., where they planned to spend two months at the husband’s house. The woman was issued a five-year ban. “In the past, they would have done a simple denied entry and said you really need to apply for a green card and don’t come back until it’s been approved or there’s proof that you’ve filed,” said Saunders. In another case, a Canadian man got a temporary job working for a winery on the Canadian side of the border. However, he decided to reside at his girlfriend’s parents’ condo on the American side of the border during this period. After crossing the border every day to go to and from work for a few months, he was banned from entering the U.S., because officials believed he intended to immigrate there. In a third case, two Canadian men were going to Montana to film a fly-fishing (See Removals, page 7)
s Longtime historical society members enjoy the opening of the Point Roberts History Center at the community center on August 31. Open hours can be viewed in Coming Up. From l., Joan Linde, Bunny Meikle and Maureen Meikle. Photo by Renee Coe
Parent company infuses cash into Seabright By Meg Olson With an infusion of capital from their parent company in China, Mengfa International Resources Inc. (MIRI) is reaffirming its commitment to the Cottages at Seabright Farm. “We remain very committed to the company, the development and the community of Point Roberts,” said MIRI president Frank Li. As the majority shareholder in Orca Shores LLC, the company responsible for the development of Seabright, Li said MIRI
decided to step up and fill the current funding gap so maintenance of the property can resume. “We have started discussions about how to restructure the company to make it more workable,” Li said. As of September 9, Li said, Orca Shores, which owns 33 unsold lots of the 59 in the development, had met its financial obligations to the homeowners’ association. “We are planning to bring back maintenance staff as soon as possible,” Li said. “Our top priority right now is to ensure continued site maintenance.” Li added that they would be reviewing
Annual apple fair to be full of fun and vitamin C By
A n n e l l e N o r ma n
The third annual Apple Harvest Festival, sponsored by Point Roberts Circle of Care, Umpqua Bank and Greg Hepner takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29 at the Point Roberts Community Center. All are invited to join in this family-oriented, fun, informative and entertaining weekend. The weekend will include two days of good, old-fashioned apple cider pressing, a music concert with
local celebrity Shaune Ann and The Fuez Band and games and activities for families and children. Shaune Ann and The Fuez Band will perform on Saturday, September 28, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the community center. General seating tickets are $35 and reserved seating tickets are $40. There will be dancing and both ticket options include two servings of wine, beer or soft drinks. Tickets are limited and can be purchased by contacting Circle of Care directly or at
Auntie Pam’s Country Store and Nielson’s Building Center. The apple press will be in operation from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. the Point Roberts Registered Voters Association will be hosting apple bobbing and there will be other games for kids. There will also be apple tasting and a balloon artist. (See Festival, page 3)
back pay for maintenance staff and correcting any impediments to staff members applying for unemployment benefits. “We understand our legal obligations as employers,” he said. A lengthy approval process, changing market conditions, and the death last July of Wayne Knowles, partner in Orca Shores LLC and project manager, had all contributed to the company running out of budget to fund its commitments to the home(See Seabright, page 3)
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Church ............................................. 18 Classifieds ......................................... 16 Coming Up ....................................... 17 Opinion ............................................... 4 Seniors ............................................. 14 Sheriffs.............................................. 14 Tides ................................................. 14