Welcome to the CBSA RA
The CBSA Retirees’ Association is a national nonprofit affiliation of Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) retirees providing news and resources for retirees of the CBSA, including retirees from CBSA legacy organizations that no longer exist, such as the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) and Canada Customs.
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A New Feature!
We’ve added a new feature for our members in the Members Only section – The Bulletin Board! There you’ll find information
Attention CBSA RA Members:
The latest edition of THE PORTCULLIS, the periodic newsletter of the CBSA RA, has been uploaded in the Members Only section
About the CBSA RA
The CBSA Retirees’ Association (CBSA RA) is comprised entirely of retirees of the Canada Border Services Agency, retirees of CBSA legacy organizations that no longer exist, such as the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) and Canada Customs, and current CBSA employees who are within their last year of employment prior to their confirmed retirement date. Although the Association uses the moniker CBSA in its title to describe its membership as former employees of the Canada Border Services Agency, the Association is in no way affiliated with, nor supported by, the Agency itself other than in its endorsement of the CBSA RA and the permission with CBSA stewardship to utilize some “branding” tools related to the Agency. The Association was created by and is maintained through the voluntary efforts of the retirees themselves. It is, in effect, an Association by the retirees for the retirees.
Every year, numerous CBSA employees from across the nation leave their careers behind and move into retirement and, when they end their productive and satisfying careers with the CBSA, they carry their knowledge and experience out the door with them on their last day.
The idea of the CBSA RA began with the realization that the training, experience, network of contacts, and esprit de corps that CBSA employees develop over the course of their careers can still be put to meaningful use even after their retirement from the CBSA. These dedicated employees, now retirees, are still often willing and eager to be of individual and/or collective service to the CBSA and each other (or their families and dependents), as well as to their country and local communities.
The CBSA RA exists, first and foremost, to be a resource for those who have retired from the CBSA or from one of its legacy organizations that no longer exist. Along with the retirees, the Association also strives to be a resource for their families and dependents when needed. The Association, and the retirees who give of themselves to it, are contributing voluntarily to the well-being of other retirees of the CBSA and its now defunct legacy organizations.
In essence, the CBSA RA serves as the final step in the employee’s career path – to a happy, healthy and productive retirement – by opening a pathway to continued engagement with peers, in providing suggestions for new opportunities within and outside the CBSA, and through highlighting avenues to obtain additional support in retirement when required.
The CBSA RA provides a vehicle for CBSA retirees to:
- continue to maintain contact with the Agency, as the Association provides a conduit for accurate and timely information to the CBSA retiree community on developments within the Agency and on retirement issues that concern them. It, in effect, provides a continuum of community and support for employees as they transition into retirement and ensures credible, timely and accurate sharing of information and program changes related to pensions, benefits and opportunities;
- continue to be an informed and trained resource for the Agency and provide service, on a voluntary basis, to the CBSA in ways such as assisting with recruitment drives, and/or providing mentorship to current employees within the organization in order to ensure the CBSA’s tradition of excellence and shared values is fostered and developed in the next generation of employees and managers;
- promote and advance the mission, values and work of the CBSA as proud CBSA retirees and members of the CBSA RA;
- promote the physical, social and economic well-being of the CBSA RA members and their families by providing a sense of community and support to all its members;
- provide support on a voluntary basis to worthy community services or organizations of a charitable or benevolent nature under the stewardship of the CBSA and the CBSA RA;
- continue to maintain contact through the Association with other Agency retirees with whom they have worked and have forged lifelong friendships.
The CBSA RA will maintain a dedicated secure website to promote the Association and to provide its members with accurate information on post-retirement issues and resources. Further products will be forthcoming as the RA matures and products are developed.
The CBSA RA is open for membership, on a voluntary basis, to any employee of the CBSA who retires in, and maintains, good standing from the organization. CBSA employees who are within their last year of employment prior to their confirmed retirement date are also eligible to join the CBSA RA, as are those who retired prior to the creation of the CBSA from a CBSA legacy organization that no longer exists, such as the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) and Canada Customs. Acceptance will be granted to those meeting the aforementioned criteria and who make application with payment of a nominal dues fee for the first year. Payment of subsequent yearly dues by December 31 each year will keep a member in good standing for the following year.
Current membership rates, as well as a fillable Membership Application Form are available on this website under the Membership tab.
The CBSA RA is the result of the efforts of a small group of current and retired CBSA members from across the country who have, for a number of years now, been diligently discussing, planning and voluntarily working towards its creation. Much discussion with the CBSA itself has also taken place during this journey in order to secure the Agency’s endorsement for the RA and a commitment to two-way communication with the RA at the national and regional levels.
It is now hoped that other CBSA retirees from across the country will see the value added of the RA, and will come forward and express a willingness to contribute their skills and knowledge to help the RA develop its full potential in the months and years ahead. Remember, the CBSA RA is intended to be a national affiliation of CBSA retirees contributing to our collective well-being in retirement through the sharing of common experiences and knowledge. Can you help us all to do that?
If you would like to be involved in the ongoing development and administration of the CBSA RA, and have a say in what the RA can become as it works toward realizing its full potential, then please contact us today and let us know. You can reach us at admin@cbsaretirees.ca
Our Agency’s Rich Heritage
Check Back Often For New Content
Customs – Its Beginnings by Barry M. Risk
Customs isn’t a modern organization and goes far beyond the limited history of Canada; it is an ancient position that goes back beyond medieval times, and further back there is all sorts of references to a Collector-type position when researching the trade routes of the then known world of the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Tyrrhenian and Ionian
R.A. Interim Executive
The following persons have been involved in the creation of the CBSA RA, and are currently acting as Interim Executive and volunteers for the Association until a permanent organizational framework and Executive Committee are adopted by the membership:
Interim Secretary: Jan Gorman, retired CBSA Intelligence Chief, Ottawa, now resides Halifax, NS
Interim Treasurer: Dave Sheridan, retired CBSA Senior Program Advisor, Ottawa, now resides Kingston, ON
Advisors/Contributors:
Barry Risk, retired CBSA Senior Intelligence Officer, Ottawa, now resides Arnprior, ON
Harry Troche, retired CBSA Communications Manager, Manitoba, now resides Steinbach, MB
R.A. Constitution and By-Laws
Much work lies ahead to develop the CBSA RA and help it realize its full potential as a support and advocacy resource for CBSA retirees. How that happens, and by whom, need to be done in concert with the wishes of the national membership of the Association. Common sense would dictate that it be done by committee, and that those involved first need to study and decide upon the procedures necessary to set up an association with the necessary Constitution, By-Laws, Executive, etc. and have those procedures adopted by quorum with the membership.
If you are a CBSA RA member and can give of your time to share your knowledge and experience and be involved in the early development and administration of the CBSA RA, then please contact us today at admin@cbsaretirees.ca and let us know.
CBSA RA Membership
Eligibility Criteria
The CBSA RA is open for membership, on a voluntary basis, to any employee of the CBSA who retires in, and maintains, good standing from the organization. CBSA employees who are within their last year of employment prior to their confirmed retirement date are also eligible to join the CBSA RA, as are those who retired prior to the creation of the CBSA from a CBSA legacy organization that no longer exists, such as the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) and Canada Customs. Acceptance will be granted to those meeting the aforementioned criteria and who make application with payment of a nominal dues fee for the first year. Payment of subsequent yearly dues by December 31 each year will keep a member in good standing for the following year.
RA Membership Application Form:
Provided you meet the eligibility criteria, we encourage you to make application to join the CBSA Retirees’ Association.
In order to do so, you must first complete the Membership Application Form below, choose your method of dues payment and then print and mail your signed, completed Membership Application Form to us at:
CBSA Retirees’ Association
P.O. Box 27015
Kingston, ON K7M 8W5
As the CBSA RA does not have access to CBSA personnel records, your original, signed application form will be kept on file with the CBSA RA as your attestation that you meet the eligibility criteria for membership in the CBSA RA. Also, the form fields on the application form hold only a limited number of characters, so please feel free to include a separate sheet(s) of paper with your application form with any additional information you’d like us to know about you and/or your career. We’ll be happy to include the additional information on file with your application form.
The annual membership fee for 2019 has been set at $25. Membership in the Association is valid through December 31, 2019.
The RA annual membership fee of $25 is to cover the costs of incorporating the RA as non-profit organization, developing and maintaining the CBSA RA website, paying a yearly fee for the domain name and SSL Certificate, and to cover the costs of annual banking fees and post office box rental. It should be noted that there are no salaries or honorariums paid to any of the Interim Executive or any of those who contribute items for the website or THE PORTCULLIS newsletter. All persons associated with the CBSA RA are VOLUNTEERS.
There are two ways to pay your membership fee:
- If you prefer to pay by cheque, you may send us your cheque for your membership fee payment along with your Membership Application Form. Please make your cheque payable to: “CBSA Retirees’ Association”;
- If you prefer to pay your membership fee electronically, upon receipt of your mailed Membership Application Form we will contact you by email with instructions on how to make an INTERAC e-Transfer payment to us.
The personal information collected through the application form is to be used only for the purposes of assessing the eligibility of the applicant for membership in the CBSA RA, for the collection of membership fees and for contact with members by representatives of the RA. The personal information collected will not be disseminated beyond the CBSA RA nor will it be shared within the RA without the express consent of the individual.
Through the Members Only Login:
- access to The Portcullis newsletter, which includes milestones (retirements, deaths, significant milestones, etc. from across the country);
- access to The Trading Post, featuring items and memorabilia relevant to the CBSA and/or the RA for sale or trade by RA members;
- access to the members only discussion forum;
- access to resources such as the CBSA RA Survivor’s and Executor’s Guide, as well as links to other websites of interest and use to RA members and seniors in general;
- access to various web links and programs of interest to seniors and retirees.
Other Benefits:
- 10% off purchase of Harry Troche retiree badges;
- advance notice of CBSA and CBSA RA events of interest to RA members to enable participation.
Contact the CBSA RA
Questions? Comments?
You can email us via the contact form below, or write to us at:
CBSA Retirees’ Association
P.O. Box 27015
Kingston, ON K7M 8W5