Charges pending for violations of Immigration Act
Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Feb 09/01) - A male British citizen residing in Inuvik was arrested Feb. 3 for allegedly violating the Immigration Act.
Gary Rolfe, 34, was arrested on the Aklavik ice road by the RCMP and Citizen and Immigration Canada officials after allegations surfaced concerning his unauthorized employment in the North and misrepresentation when seeking admission at the port of entry.
Randy Gurlock, assistant manager of CIC in Edmonton, said allegations of misrepresentation mean the individual either showed documentation or made a statement to a customs or immigration officer at a port of entry that enabled them to enter Canada.
Rolfe is also being investigated under the Criminal Code for possession of firearms without a license. RCMP officers seized one rifle from Rolfe at the time of his arrest and later seized a second rifle.
The RCMP and CIC are conducting a joint investigation into his alleged unauthorized employment. He appeared before an Immigration adjudicator Feb. 6 and was released on several terms and conditions until his appearance at an immigration inquiry.
Pending the outcome of the inquiry, Rolfe could be facing charges under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Immigration Act.
CIC have also ordered a 36-year-old Italian male residing in Inuvik to leave the country. The man was in Inuvik on a six-month visitor visa that expired on Jan. 30. He now has 30 days to leave Canada. The RCMP are not releasing his identity. There have been a number of cases in the Northwest Territories involving violations of the Immigration Act over the past year, but Gurlock does not consider the North a repository for immigrants trying to gain entry into Canada.
"Inuvik, like any community in Canada, sometimes has people working without authorization and this is an instance of that and I don't think it's representative of a large trend."
