ireland2canada

When I activated my PR, I did this by walking across the bridge at Niagara, doing the US flagpole thing and then walking back to Canada.

A friend came along and wandered across the bridge to look at the scenery while I was in the US office. When we headed back to the Canadian side she was asked for ID and whatnot as per the usual process. She's Australian, in Canada on a working holiday visa, no ID whatsoever. She was allowed back in with no fuss, after explaining that she just wanted to go for a walk.

dbd33

Two "entering Canada inadequately documented" stories. Both post-911.

I was about to get off the plane when the flight attendant apologized "we ran out of room in the closet and had to check your coat". I thought nothing of until I arrived at immigration with no coat, no wallet and so no documents at all. I suggested to the clerk that he could confirm my residency by checking for my unpaid traffic tickets. I don't know if that's what he did but he let me through, perhaps because fetching my alleged coat would have meant dealing with the ground staff and no one wants to deal with the ground staff at YYZ.

I went to a Bills game in a van, a cargo van, big heap of half drunk bodies in the back. "Everyone Canadian?" asked the officer "Yes" said the driver. There was some bother establishing that the driver was reasonably sober and we were sent on our way.

Before 911 YYZ was fabulously lax. If I didn't have a bag I'd nip through a departure gate the wrong way to save bothering with immigration. Coming from a country where bags left on the tube were at risk of being blown up by robot, airports in the US and Canada amazed me. Now, of course, they've swung the other way, lots of fuss for not much more safety.

Souvy

Three pre-911 stories. They probably wouldn't happen now and they probably shouldn't have happened then.

A cocked-up connection meant that a colleague and I missed on onward flight. Our luggage didn't. This was in Saudi Arabia, during the first Gulf War.

On overbooked BA flight from LHR to Vienna saw me travel in the cockpit. I bet that wouldn't happen now.

Checking-in in Kuwait, I found I needed some cash. That was to be found on a different floor. An official told me to just leave my luggage on the floor and come back for it later. That would spark an evacuation these days.

I've just thought of a fourth.

A trip from Lahore to Ankara saw me in Karachi in the middle of the night. I couldn't check-in or stash my luggage and the only place to get anything to eat or drink was airside. I wandered back and forth several times without once being challenged and without lugging my baggage.

MarylandNed

During a brief stint in Vancouver about 20 years ago, my wife and I drove down to Point Roberts just out of curiosity. Very unusual place. Like Alaska, it has no land border with the rest of the US - only Canada. We went to a bar there and chatted with some of the locals - there was also a sizeable contingent from the Vancouver area. Canadians frequently went there to get cheap gas and groceries. Many also used the postal service there as it was handy for sending/receiving US mail. There are some interesting facts about the place on wikipedia. Apparently it's a good place for whale watching although we didn't stay long enough to see any.

JonboyE

An acquaintance used to live in Point Roberts and work in Richmond. Pre 9/11 the officer on the Canadian side would often sit back in his chair and rest his feet on the front of the booth. The convention was that if his feet pointed towards Canada you just drove straight through. It the feet were upright or pointed toward the US you stopped.

MarylandNed

I read something somewhere about some Vancouver Canucks hockey players (e.g. Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure) living there for tax purposes and to satisfy requirements for US residency/citizenship.

Atlantic Xpat

Apropos to nothing, but Air Canada at New Orleans today didn't ask for my PR card. All they were interested in was a passport. In contrast to a few weeks ago when I re-entered the country at YYZ I breezed through immigration with no silly questions.

Steve_

Well they were letting in Whitey Bulger for many years, apparently he went to Tijuana to get his prescriptions filled!

Steve_

Grenade in vehicle at border not real
'It might be a training' weapon, source says

By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

It took more than 24 hours and an international investigation by Canadian and U.S. civilian and military authorities.

But by yesterday afternoon federal investigators could say that a hand grenade found Monday in the glove compartment of an American woman's vehicle crossing into Canada near Blaine was not real.

"We now believe it might be a training grenade," a federal criminal justice source told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer yesterday. "When you throw them they go 'pop' like a firecracker to simulate combat" instead of a concussive explosion of deadly shrapnel from a fragmentation grenade, the source said.

While definitive word was not returned from the Canadian lab inspecting the grenade yesterday afternoon, "all agencies involved think it is a training grenade," the source said. "There is no indication that it was terrorism or that she planned to blow anything up."

The 28-year-old woman, believed to be the wife of a Fort Lewis soldier, was not arrested, but neither she nor her husband is in the clear, authorities said. She was driving a Ford Explorer with Texas plates.

"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, along with the FBI, are following up to determine if there are violations to federal law," said Mike Milne, regional Homeland Security Department spokesman.

Military police at Fort Lewis yesterday also were trying to account for how a training grenade was transported off a military base -- either here on in Texas. Munitions of any kind are strictly forbidden from being taken off any base, an Army spokesman said.

The woman actually was on her way from Houston to Vancouver, Wash. Authorities believe she was trying to meet up with her husband at Fort Lewis. Unfamiliar with the area, she wound up 250 miles north in Blaine at the border crossing to Vancouver, B.C., authorities said.

Officials with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the woman appeared to be "quite traumatized" about the whole thing, seemingly unaware of the grenade in her SUV. Canadian authorities questioned her, then allowed her to return to the United States where she underwent questioning from 4:30 to 7 p.m., Milne said.

But the incident closed the Peace Arch border crossing, which 8 million people use annually, between 1 and 2 p.m.

Canadian authorities did not describe the device examined by the RCMP's explosives-disposal unit. The U.S. military, however, has used a blue, round M69 training grenade that emits a popping noise and white smoke when tossed, but which can be reused by replacing the fuse assembly.

Atlantic Xpat

An update...

I became a Canadian citizen on Tuesday afternoon & flew to London that night.
On my return today, AC didn't ask for a PR card & were perfectly happy for me to board a return flight to Canada on my British passport. The CBSA officer at this end did not bat an eyelid on entering the company on a British passport & citizenship card. She was pleasant, and the pound of Stilton I brought back (duly declared) was not a problem either.

I will however get a Canadian pp prior to travelling again.

lmartin999

Of course the question of why CBSA should have any interest whatsoever in your pound of Stilton remains.

I kind of think of it as akin to the Job Creation scheme.

Alan2005

Who wouldn't have an interest in 1lb of stilton? If I was the immigration person I've have... er... confiscated it.

Atlantic Xpat

The interest in what I am bringing into the country I find much more acceptable than the third degree on what I've been doing out of Canada!

Former Lancastrian

: You really must have had a bad experience with CBSA
We are merely acting on behalf of CFIA and their legislation and regulations regarding travellers bringing in cheese. Maybe this link will satisy your curiosity
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/dai.../1300214161699

Its ok we understand your frustrations and I guess we should just allow travellers to bring in any products that could damage or cause havoc in the Agri food services industry such a BSE etc etc
We also appreciate the fact that with regulations like these and all the other federally regulated areas Transport Canada, Health Canada, etc etc they keep us in employment and serve its citizens by keeping the BAD stuff out and letting in the GOOD stuff.

Atlantic Xpat

Quite. It was an impulse purchase in Marks and Sparks. 1lb of Stilton half price at 8 quid. The same amount would cost me $80 in Nfld!

I must admit I'd never considered brining back cheese before - automatically assuming it would be verboten. But I read a post/thread somewhere this year that indicated otherwise. It'll be something I'll be doing again.

I'm not sure where our CBSA friend works as he sensibly doesn't share that with us. () but I find the CBSA staff at St John's & Halifax, friendly & helpful. Some at Pearson clearly have decided to model their attitude from their colleagues at the US CBP though!