Border Agent Fired for Misconduct, Threatens Lawsuit

0:00It's April 21st. From your city to your ears, this is Canada News Today, powered by AI. A long time Canada Border Services Agency employee got fired back in 2017, and a federal labor tribunal just upheld it in a decision from. February. Placicalisa, a senior program officer, spent at least 13 years improperly digging into sensitive CVSA and immigration databases. He did it to help fault from the Rwanda community, many of whom turned into clients for his side hustle as a real estate agent. CVSA would run dozens of unauthorized searches, like checking visa denials for people he knew were eyeing condos in Canada. He even wrote invitation letters for their applications, named dropping his CBSA title to boost their odds. The tribunal called this a clear conflict of interest, putting his business gains ahead of his job duties. Folks in the Rwanda community trusted him because he immigrated from Rwanda decades ago and stayed tight with the group. But he denied wrongdoing during the hearings.

1:02Claiming searches were just to confirm processing or check for genocide ties. The board shot that down as unconvincing, especially after 13 years of it. Then there's the extra layer. CVSA held top secret clearance, but never told his bosses about a close friend flagged as a suspected war criminal by the Rwandan Embassy in Canadian Security Intelligence Service. That sparked a CSIS probe in 2014 over his Rwanda trips, leading to his suspension in 2016. The tribunal nailed him for all this serious misconduct, confirming the firing stands. Now Calisa's talking lawsuits against CBSA and his old union for discrimination, saying they left him twisting in the wind. This case shines a light on how personal ties can clash hard with border security work.