April 28 - May 4, 2022
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Blaine man arrested after WinCo robbery, page 3
38th Blessing of the Fleet on May 1, page 7
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
County crime-filled weekend, page 13
No date given to Birch Bay State Park offers birdwatching haven reopen Canadian NEXUS centers B y P a t G r u bb
(See NEXUS, page 2)
s Birdwatchers take advantage of a beautiful morning at Birch Bay State Park on April 21. See more spring photos, page 15. Photo by Louise Mugar
City council deliberates on development committee By Grace McCarthy Blaine City Council held an hour-long study session April 25 on a potential ad-hoc development committee that would keep councilmembers up-to-date on extensive growth that is expected in east and west Blaine. New councilmembers Kerena Higgins, Rhyan Lopez and Mike Hill first proposed the new committee during the April 11 city council meeting. City manager Michael Jones advised against council creating a committee because the city’s community development services staff was already under workload strain with new development, and said council could stay informed on development through tools already available to council. Jones recommended expanding existing communication such as the city manager’s written report or
to schedule a monthly 30-minute study session; have councilmembers serve as a liaison for the planning commission and hearing examiner; or create more education and training for councilmembers. “We can modify some of what we’re doing and use some of what we already have in place,” Jones said. Jones also advised the proposed committee should not duplicate planning commission’s work. Councilmember Richard May said that if city staff put development information into the city manager’s report, it would only be what staff thought was interesting, and not what councilmembers thought needed extra attention. Higgins said she wanted to have more
g STUDIO n i n e p TOUR O
(See Council, page 5)
G ala
INSIDE
Canada and the U.S. are in discussions regarding the reopening of Canadian NEXUS enrollment centers, according to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) senior spokesperson Rebecca Purdy; however, no projected date of reopening was offered by the Ottawa, Ontario-based media representative. While the U.S. enrollment centers reopened for applicant interviews on April 19, the Canadian offices have remained closed since the beginning of the pandemic. Local border officers on both sides of the line have unofficially attributed the continuing closure to the inability of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to be armed while serving in the Canadian centers. Despite being specifically asked if that was the reason, Purdy merely replied that “the CBSA and the U.S. CBP are working together to mitigate the impact on members caused by the extended closures of the [Canadian] enrollment centers.” Prior to the shutdown, Canada had 12 processing centers, mostly at international airports. Blaine immigration attorney Len Saunders told The Northern Light that he has talked to officers on both sides of the border and was told the issue is Canada’s refusal to allow U.S. officers to be armed. A U.S./Canada Preclearance agreement that went into effect in 2019 authorized U.S. officers working in Canadian airports and other ports performing immigration and customs duties in preclearance areas to carry guns wherever CBSA officers carry guns. However, as CBSA officers are not allowed to carry guns in those areas, neither are U.S. officers. The agreement also allowed U.S. officers to conduct strip searches when necessary. In an earlier interview, Purdy said there was a backlog of 270,000 applicants who have submitted NEXUS applications and are awaiting interviews. Purdy was unable to provide additional detail regarding the number of U.S. versus Canadian applicants awaiting interviews but provided statistics on current NEXUS members: • 75 percent – Canadian citizens • 3 percent – Canadian permanent residents
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ThisFLYERS Week’s
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FRIDAY, APRIL 29 5 - 7 PM
Blaine Boating Center • 235 Marine Dr. Gate #2 Enjoy a sneak peek at the amazing artists of Blaine’s Studio Art Tour while enjoying fine wine, beer, and hors d’oeuvres. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!