CBSA grants third extension to remote border crossing permits used mostly by Americans

The Canada Border Services Agency is replacing its Remote Area Border Crossing Program with a telephone reporting system.

The RABC program involves travel permits that allow travellers to enter Canada through remote areas that cross the Canada-U.S. border. However, the telephone reporting system has yet to be fully launched. This week the CBSA extended the RABC program for the third time in less than a year.

In an August 10 statement, the CBSA said RABC permits will be extended to Nov. 30, 2026. They cover several remote areas, including: the Northwest Angle Area, Pigeon River through to and including Lake of the Woods, the Canadian shore of Lake Superior, the Sault Ste. Marie upper lock system and Cockburn Island.

As of Dec 1, all travellers entering Canada through these remote areas will be required to report to the CBSA at a port of entry or a designated telephone reporting site.

National Post has contacted the CBSA for more details about the planned sites.

The CBSA has said in the past that the telephone reporting will build on processes already in place across Canada and ensure “a consistent level of security” with expectations of compliance. The CBSA also suggests it will be equal to U.S. Customs and Border Protection measures, used when entering the U.S. via remote areas.

These changes will primarily impact Americans, who make up 90 per cent of the approximately 11,000 RABC annual members, according to the CBSA.

Permit holders have not needed to present themselves in person at a port of entry. However, they must declare any goods they are bringing into Canada. Applying for a RABC Program permit requires the applicant to be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or the U.S.

At least two telephone reporting sites have been established for paddlers entering northwestern Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park, at the Prairie Portage and Cache Bay ranger stations.

According to Minnesota newspaper, The Ely Echo, the two sites were set to open in early June. Anyone else entering Canada from a border lake would need an active RABC permit, said the Echo. But after the RABC program shuts down, telephone reporting sites are to be available outside of Quetico.

Paddle and Portage media reported in late June that the response to the new telephone reporting system set up for entering Quetico has “been positive.”

CBSA officials also told the magazine that frequent cross-border travellers can enroll in the long-standing NEXUS program, which aims to speed up crossings between Canada and the U.S. for low-risk, pre-approved travellers. It is jointly run by the CBSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

NEXUS memberships are valid for five years. There is a $120 non-refundable application processing fee.

“NEXUS members may call 30 minutes to 4 hours in advance of their arrival,” the CBSA told Paddle and Portage.

For less frequent cross-border travellers, said the media outlet, “the (new) telephone reporting sites are efficient and extremely easy to use.”

Back in March, Paddle and Portage reported that more than 200 people responded to a request from the Canadian government as to where people should report from when they cross border lakes near or in boundary waters. Approximately 240 responses were received between Jan. 26 and Feb. 13, according to the CBSA.

Meanwhile, the publication states that there continues to be concern about who will be able to utilize the telephone reporting system. For example, it notes that the CBSA said telephone reporting will not be allowed for “chartered vessels, including fishing charters” or by people in “vessels carrying passengers for remuneration (money paid for work or a service).” That includes a fishing guide with paying clients.

As reported by NWOnewswatch.com this week, cancellation of the RABC program will not affect boaters who cross into Canadian waters, as long as they don’t land on Canadian soil, anchor, moor or make contact with another boat while in Canadian waters, and don’t take on or allow people to disembark in Canada.