Statement by Canada Border Services Agency

Vancouver, British Columbia, October 17, 2012 – Today, Roslyn MacVicar, Pacific Regional Director General of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), made the following statement updating on the condition of the officer injured in yesterday’s shooting at Douglas port of entry:

“Yesterday afternoon Border Services Officer Lori Bowcock was shot and injured in the line of duty at the Douglas, B.C. port of entry. The CBSA and law enforcement partners responded immediately and Lori was airlifted to hospital. She is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery. Her mother and brothers are by her side.

I want to underscore that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) — through their Integrated Homicide Investigation Team — continue to investigate this matter and as such, I will not be providing details about the shooting.

I want to tell you a little about Officer Bowcock. Lori joined the CBSA family a few months ago. Once she completed her training at the CBSA College in Rigaud in July, she was deployed to the Pacific Region that same month, becoming a valued member of our CBSA team at the Douglas port of entry. As a recent graduate she has not yet completed the Arming Program training.

I know everyone within our organization is thinking about Lori and wishing her well. I know that these types of incidents can have a lasting impact on the people involved. As such, the management team has ensured that the Employee Assistance Program and Critical Incident Stress Management services are readily available to staff today and throughout the days to come. The CBSA is committed to providing support to Lori, her family and all of our officers and staff. The President of the CBSA, Luc Portelance, flew to Vancouver earlier today to meet with Lori, her family, and our staff here in the region.

This incident is a profound reminder of the risks that border services officers assume every day in their role to protect the safety and security of all Canadians. I want to underscore that the safety and security of our border services officers is of utmost importance to the CBSA. I also want to acknowledge the professional and poised manner in which our officers at Douglas, and elsewhere, responded to the terrible shooting of a CBSA officer.

We appreciate the support and cooperation we have received from Canadians, our law enforcement partners and travellers. We would like to thank the RCMP, the British Columbia Ambulance Service and the Surrey Fire Service for their rapid response, and our colleagues at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) who closed their port to southbound traffic to assist.

CBP will be opening their Peace Arch port of entry to southbound traffic today at 16:00 PT and the CBSA expects to open the Douglas port of entry to northbound traffic tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. PT.”