Man Fakes Document at Canadian Border in Order to Visit Girlfriend

The federal government has released news that a man was arrested for forging documents while trying to enter Canada in order to visit his girlfriend.

The official news release was yesterday, and states that on June 23, Lyell Sullivan Buttermore attempted to visit Canada under the premise that he was seeking essential work.

This turned out to be untrue as Mr. Buttermore presented false documentation (a fake letter supporting his claim of essential work) and was actually trying to see his girlfriend.

Mr. Buttermore was trying to enter Canada at Lansdowne Port of Entry in Ontario.

In December, he pled guilty and was discharged with 12 months of probation, and was also made to donate $2000 to the Lanark and Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health Services.

Stephanie Chenier, Director of Enforcement and Intelligence Operations Division, Northern Ontario Region said of the case, “Our officers ensure that those who are granted entry into Canada are complying with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and current border restrictions. Intercepting those who misrepresent themselves is important to protecting the health and safety of Canadians as well as maintaining the integrity of our borders and immigration processes”.

Buttermore’s prosecution is a result of the Canada-US temporary border restriction set in place on March 21st, 2020.

Since these restrictions were set in place, there has been an influx in irregular border crossings across the Canada-US border.

The lockdowns have certainly made long distance relationships even tougher than usual on many cross-border couples, with limited access to travel during the pandemic.

In order to travel to visit loved ones, there is a list of criteria that must be met according to the government of Canada’s official website.