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.

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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.