Black Hawk helicopter now patrolling Alberta-U.S. border: RCMP
Posted January 29, 2025 3:42 pm.
Last Updated January 29, 2025 6:32 pm.
As part of Donald Trump’s call for a more secure border, the RCMP says a Black Hawk helicopter is now patrolling the border in Southern Alberta.
Flights began on Tuesday with the mounties saying officers will be on board to quickly respond to any location where illegal activity is taking place.
“This includes searching for individuals who illegally enter Canada between official ports of entries and for the human smugglers who facilitate their travel,” reads a release from RCMP. “It will also be used to detect and stop illegal smuggling and trafficking of contraband such as illicit drugs into, and out of, Canada.”
The RCMP say residents living along the Alberta border with the U.S. may hear and see the helicopter on a regular basis.
The Black Hawk helicopter is one of two recently chartered by the RCMP for the border at the cost of $5.3 million.
The other is in Manitoba and adds to six other RCMP helicopters that patrol the border.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said late last year that the province was putting $29 million toward creating a new sheriff patrol unit to shore up security at the U.S. border.
The unit is to be supported by about 50 armed sheriffs, 10 cold weather surveillance drones and four drug detection dogs.
The announcement came after then incoming U.S. president Donald Trump threats to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports once he returned to office. Now the sitting president, Trump has floated Feb. 1 as a date to implement the tariffs.
