Canadian border officials identify new telephone reporting sites for remote area crossings from the U.S.

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.

“The CBSA has identified over 15 new telephone reporting sites and is currently in the process of formally designating them,” CBSA media relations spokesperson Kelly Cameron told National Post in an email. “As sites are officially designated, they will be announced on social media and on the CBSA Directory of Services .”

Cameron said, “Travellers will be able to use their cellphones to call the telephone reporting centre (1-888-CANPASS) to report their entry to Canada, or they can use the phones provided at the reporting sites. Travellers will need to provide information including – but not limited to – their full name, date of birth, citizenship, and acceptable identification.” They must also declare any goods being brought into Canada.

Travellers can access information in advance about entry documents at Travel and identification documents for entering Canada, she said .

Cameron pointed to the CBSA website, Reporting requirements for private boat operators for additional information on telephone reporting.

After speaking with an officer, travellers will be informed whether they can proceed to their destination or whether further examination of their request is required.

Several factors are used in determining if an individual is admissible to Canada, said Cameron. She noted the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which provides the grounds for prohibiting entry into Canada, as well as removal of people who are inadmissible.

The complete list of inadmissibility grounds can be found in sections 34 to 42 of IRPA, she said . For example, convictions outside of Canada must equate to an offence in Canada for a foreign national to be found inadmissible. She pointed to online information for travellers who want to overcome prohibitive criminal convictions .

Previously, the CBSA said the telephone reporting system would align with requirements for travellers entering the U.S. Cameron pointed to the U.S. reporting requirements set out by U.S. Customs and Border Protection .

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 have always had to 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.

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