Neither 🇨🇦 & 🇺🇸 are saying what the drug-border conflict is about out loud, so I guess I’ll do it.
This is about 🇨🇦’s trucking industry & Ontario’s truck driving schools that popped up overnight.
<thread> 🧵👇
This is about 🇨🇦’s trucking industry & Ontario’s truck driving schools that popped up overnight.
<thread> 🧵👇
2/ first off, you’ve probably seen this chart makings the rounds “proving” 🇨🇦 isn’t a big source of drugs in 🇺🇸.
When I talk stats, I always tell people to take careful note of what it’s showing.
In this case, it’s drug seizures on the 🇨🇦& 🇲🇽 border. Straightforward.
When I talk stats, I always tell people to take careful note of what it’s showing.
In this case, it’s drug seizures on the 🇨🇦& 🇲🇽 border. Straightforward.
3/ Now, if you’re in 🇺🇸 you’ve probably been reading stories like this.
Take note of where these truckers are being arrested. Spoiler: not the border.
Just one of these busts was 6% of the volume of drugs seized at the border, but obviously wouldn’t be in the border data.
Take note of where these truckers are being arrested. Spoiler: not the border.
Just one of these busts was 6% of the volume of drugs seized at the border, but obviously wouldn’t be in the border data.
4/ 🇨🇦 & 🇺🇸 have arguably the closest trade relationship of any 2 countries.
Every day $3.5b in goods flow through back & forth, with an avg of 13.7k trucks crossing per day.
That’s a lot of frickin tricks & nearly impossible to screen it all.
Every day $3.5b in goods flow through back & forth, with an avg of 13.7k trucks crossing per day.
That’s a lot of frickin tricks & nearly impossible to screen it all.
5/ as a result, a high degree of trust is granted to logistics companies, especially bonded & trusted firms—companies like FedEx need to move materials really fast.
Used to be hard to become a cross border trucker since companies don’t want to risk hiring a smuggler.
Used to be hard to become a cross border trucker since companies don’t want to risk hiring a smuggler.
6/ In 2019 Ontario snuck in legislation to lower regulations to make private career colleges.
Then w/the help of a gov-owned joint venture firm no one knows our govs own, they combed rural parts of developing countries to drum up business for colleges that popped up overnight.
Then w/the help of a gov-owned joint venture firm no one knows our govs own, they combed rural parts of developing countries to drum up business for colleges that popped up overnight.
https://twitter.com/betterdwelling/status/1842283785980658120
7/ trucking was huge. Between 2017 & 2024, Ontario went from 80 truck driving schools to 280 (!).
The province has 6 auditors for 600 private career colleges—almost half for trucks, apparently. No enforcement standards. The industry thinks it’s absurd.
trucknews.com/transportation…
The province has 6 auditors for 600 private career colleges—almost half for trucks, apparently. No enforcement standards. The industry thinks it’s absurd.
trucknews.com/transportation…
8/ as you might have guessed, that’s a really bad combination.
CBC Marketplace did an investigation recently where they try to buy a truck driver certification & then the person threatens to set them on fire when they try to back out of the deal.
CBC Marketplace did an investigation recently where they try to buy a truck driver certification & then the person threatens to set them on fire when they try to back out of the deal.
9/ it’s also important to remember 🇨🇦 had no checks or balances for its study program. No background checks or school verification.
Just show up at the airport w/ proof of funds, and a letter they won’t verify. That’s it.
That’s how it worked until last year!
Just show up at the airport w/ proof of funds, and a letter they won’t verify. That’s it.
That’s how it worked until last year!
10/ to recap:
- money laundering capital of the world
- no school regulations
- criminals run certifications
- desperate folks from developing countries w/no standard of entry
- no scrutiny for x-border traffic
Still surprising this is happening?
- money laundering capital of the world
- no school regulations
- criminals run certifications
- desperate folks from developing countries w/no standard of entry
- no scrutiny for x-border traffic
Still surprising this is happening?
11/ anyway, I guess there’s two morals to this story:
- 1. Statistics in the hands of someone that doesn’t understand them is more dangerous than a shotgun
- 2. 🇨🇦 is more likely to freeze a trucker’s bank account for honking than being a transnational fentanyl smuggler.
- 1. Statistics in the hands of someone that doesn’t understand them is more dangerous than a shotgun
- 2. 🇨🇦 is more likely to freeze a trucker’s bank account for honking than being a transnational fentanyl smuggler.
ps since 🇨🇦 is the type of place where a billionaire can get murdered & no one gets arrested, I should probably note that if I disappear—it was the butter sculpting industry.
I refuse to acknowledge it as sculpture since it’s just butter frosted plastic. I’d rather risk death.
I refuse to acknowledge it as sculpture since it’s just butter frosted plastic. I’d rather risk death.
pps/ how dependent is Ontario on foreign truckers w/zero scrutiny?
@MarcMillerVM reversed Fraser’s no scrutiny study visas for private colleges & made student screening mandatory. Now trucking schools that ran for 30+ years are shutting down. 🤷♂️
trucknews.com/transportation…
@MarcMillerVM reversed Fraser’s no scrutiny study visas for private colleges & made student screening mandatory. Now trucking schools that ran for 30+ years are shutting down. 🤷♂️
trucknews.com/transportation…
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