Wouldn’t that depend on the destination though? Montreal is an big, exciting, different city; it would be a pity to be so close, and to not see it (or as much of it as one can in an afternoon). It’s a logical destination if one is in upstate NY or Vermont, and one has the time. Prescott, Ontario, on the other hand, is not quite as exciting a destination for somebody visiting Ogdensburg, NY–I’d think suspicion might be more likely to arise there, or at other crossings that don’t have anything major (on either side) nearby.
To give an example, fireworks used to be legal in Quebec and were illegal in New York and Vermont. So the border guards did a lot of extra searching in the week or two before July 4th because they knew a lot of people were going to try to smuggle fireworks across the border. (And Canadian firework stores would all advertise around this same time period even though there was no reason why legitimate Canadian customers would be shopping for fireworks any more than usual.)
Uh, Canada Day?
My wife and I took the ferry from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC last summer. We drove 90 minutes to the ferry, took the 90-minute ferry trip to Victoria, walked around and had lunch, and took the ferry back to Port Angeles. The customs officer in Port Angeles was suspicious.
“You were on the ferry longer than you were in Victoria?”
“Yes. And we drove an hour and a half to get to the ferry so we’ve got another hour and a half of driving to look forward to.”
“Six hours of travel to have lunch?”
“Yes. But it was a nice lunch and we enjoyed the ferry and having time away from the kids so it was all worth it.”
“Are you bringing anything back from Canada?”
“We ate everything we bought in Canada.”
“Go.”
I had a similar experience crossing from Sarnia several years ago. We’d spent a long weekend in Toronto, which is the closest big city, and not exactly in a foreign country, so no souvenirs. Shopping in Ontario generally sucks (they come here when they can, instead), so no new material goods. The border guard seemed nonplussed. It was the only time I’d ever had to open my trunk in what must be over 200 border crossings in my life.
The only time I had a secondary screening was when I declared that I had purchased 2 gross of bows in Washington. Buddy wanted to see what that looked like. I opened the trunk, about 300 bows burst out at him, he helped me pat them all back in and sent me on my way.
The fact that I can code switch between regular human, and super annoying soccer mom with ease probably helps.
The one time I experienced a full search crossing the border was several decades ago. I was invited to give a talk at SUNY Buffalo. But the Canadian airport controllers went on strike. So my friend who invited me had me take the train to Niagara falls and he picked me up at the train station there. He timed it perfectly so that when we got to the border, the guard asked him how long he had been in Canada. “About 15 minutes”. “Pull over”. And they searched the car, including removing door panels and shaking the spare. Plus my suitcase. Then they let us go. It didn’t help that he claimed to be a prof at Buffalo, which he was, but his car had tags from GA and he spoke with a southern drawl.
My record for short visit was about 15 minutes, too. Just this summer I took a Warm Showers guest into Windsor so he could continue his tour (no bikes allowed in the tunnel or on the bridge). It only slightly occurred to me that a brief visit would flag an alarm. The conversation with the US customs guy was pretty neat, in that he was a fellow cyclist but hadn’t heard of Warm Showers. He knew what Couch Surfing was, though.
I was reminded when I got up here that marijuana is now decriminalized in Vermont as well. So apparently all of the upstate New York users have been going to Burlington for their buys rather than Montreal and it hasn’t been an issue at the border.
As it turned out, I got asked more questions about whether I was bringing guns into Canada than I was asked about whether I was bringing marijuana into America.
There has been quite the public relations blitz by both the Canadian and US governments up here about that topic. Specifically, carrying marijuana across the Canada-US border.
The Canadian government has, for its part, blanketed everybody’s snail-mailbox in the country with a flyer stating that (among other things), it remains illegal to leave Canada with marijuana, even if the jurisdiction to which one is travelling, allows it. The flyer further states that it is equally forbidden to bring it into Canada. In addition, federal government ministers have also been very clear on this at news conferences and suchlike.
Additionally, we’ve seen any number of American CBP, and other, officials on our TV news and opinion programs explaining that it remains illegal to bring marijuana into the US from anywhere, regardless of the state one is travelling to or through. I would be very surprised if the American news (at least in border states) didn’t have such things on the news at some point–though perhaps not as much as we had.
By whatever means and from whatever source, it sounds like your upstate New York friends got the message, and are going to Burlington, not Montreal.
Anyway, it sound like you got to Montreal and back again. How did you like it?
I’ve not had so much as a post card from Justin! I’m hurt!
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You didn’t get the flyer called The Cannabis Act: Here’s What You Need to Know?
I’m hearing rumors the Canadians are going to build a wall and they’re gonna make us pay for it!
Nope. I’ve seen mention of it here, but didn’t get it.
You misheard. It wasn’t “a wall”, but “wall, eh”.
“We’re gonna build this wall, eh, and make the 'merkins pay for it”.
That’s great to hear. Too many Yanks “forget” they’re still carrying their guns when crossing the border. Here in BC they show up at border intending to drive through to Alaska, and since they’re going from one state to another they feel entitled to carry their arsenal through with them.
You didn’t miss much, it didn’t even include a coupon for 15% off your first purchase.
Um, they are entitled to carry their arsenal through with them, subject to Canadian law. The things that typical hunters use only have to be declared properly (including a payment of a fee). Some types of restricted firearms (handguns) have to be cleared in advance.
No, it depends on the type of firearm. Hunting rifles and shotguns, yes, they can get temporary permits.
Handguns, no. Lot more hoops to jump, and they may be told to leave it behind.
And I think you’re missing the “forget” part of the post. There is an attitude of some American travellers that they have a right to transport whatever they have, and they don’t have to report their weapons to Canadian Customs.
There are regular news stories in border areas of yet another American charged with bringing firearms across the border without declaring them.
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They asked me a whole series of questions.
“Do you have any guns in your car or on your person?”
“Any other firearms?”
“Any other weapons?”
“No knives? No tasers? No stun guns? No paintball guns? No pepper spray?”
I felt like saying “You didn’t ask me if I have a Venezuelan beaver mace.”
Another fun response is, ‘Well, what do you need?’
And by fun I mean never, ever joke w/ CBP or RCMP like that unless you have a very specific fetish.