Beginning Wednesday, residents living along the New Brunswick-Maine border may notice something high in the sky patrolling the divide between the two countries. The New Brunswick RCMP announced Black Hawk helicopters will be in the province starting Wednesday and will be used to increase surveillance of the border to enhance security. New Brunswick RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Hans Ouellette declined an interview for additional information, referring CTV News to the RCMP’s National Headquarters. “The Black Hawks are being deployed on a daily basis based on operational needs,” Cpl. Ouellette told CTV News in an email. “To protect operational integrity, the RCMP cannot provide more specific information on where the Black Hawks are based, nor where they will be deployed at any given time.” According to a news release from the RCMP, the new Black Hawks complement the RCMP’s existing fleet of nine helicopters, six of which provide border surveillance and support with cameras capable of thermal imaging. One is also capable of hoisting operations. The helicopters are a big part of on-going efforts by Canada to better secure its border with the U.S. amid tariff threats by President Donald Trump. A 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods was set to begin Tuesday before President Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to an agreement to delay the tariffs by 30 days. That agreement hinges on a better secured border. The federal government previously announced a $1.3 billion plan for improve the border, which includes 10,000 frontline personnel working on border protection. St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern says the Border Mayors Alliance met Tuesday to discuss the next steps in strengthening the borders. He’s hopeful the two nations can use the 30-day tariff delay to find a solution to take tariffs off the table once and for all. “Before [the tariff delay, residents were] all saying, ‘Oh, I’m not going to shop from Calais,” says MacEachern. “You’re hearing all that heated debate and it’s because they’re upset. I get it. That’ll probably simmer down, and hopefully get some normalcy for now. The people that are working with our leaders and all that, the uncertainty is still not beneficial to us.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
