Earlier in February, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced it would be taking additional actions to stop fentanyl and other synthetic narcotics from reaching communities across Canada and overseas.
As part of its plan, the CBSA has launched Operation Blizzard, a Canada-wide initiative aimed at intercepting illegal contraband trafficked to and from Canada, with a focus on fentanyl and other synthetic narcotics. Specifically, border services will increase surveillance of inbound and outbound shipments, and will act on increased referrals from CBSA’s National Targeting Centre based on risk assessments.
“Canada is taking significant action to stop the importation, production and trafficking of illegal fentanyl. In addition to the deployment of new tools and technology at the border, we also rely heavily on our frontline personnel to secure our border. Exercises like Operation Blizzard deter criminals and help ensure that our border response to illegal drug trafficking is robust and effective,” said Kevin Brosseau, Commissioner of Canada’s Fight Against Fentanyl, in a press release.
Over the month of February 2025 alone, the CBSA had made six seizures in Canada totalling 56.1g of fentanyl, including the seizure of 20 fentanyl pills and 23 g of a substance suspected to be fentanyl from two U.S. citizens crossing at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel port of entry. In addition, CBSA has also seized 186 kg of methamphetamine and 82.3 kg of cocaine.
Moreover, according to Mr. Brosseau, American officials have demonstrated their approval for his new role, which makes him “a central contact” for U.S. officials to address their concerns with fentanyl flowing across the Canada-U.S. border. “They have that clear understanding with me being here,” he said in his interview with CBC News. “So it’s resonated really well. I’d say the reaction has been very positive.”
“This is a small study, but an exciting one. It provides evidence that semaglutide treatment can reduce alcohol consumption, similar to how it has been shown to reduce food consumption and consequently body weight. The likely mechanistic pathway is by dampening brain cues that prompt an individual to crave both food and alcohol,” said Dr. Stephen Burgess professor at the University of Cambridge, in his interview with The Guardian.
