Border fee for Canadians banned by U.S. senators

[Fletch 27]

Peter Van Loan has been fighting this for over a year...pressuring US Congress.. His efforts have paid off saving Canadians Millions.

My company would have had to pay approx. 80 dollars additional a DAY in Exports...

Good day for Businesses in Ontario and other cross border enterprises... GREAT day for thos who enjoy crossing the border for vacations, family etc.etc..

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/05/10/wdr-border-fees-banned-by-senate.html

[scribblet]

Thank goodness, good for Mr. Van Loan.

[guyser]

Dont get me wrong, this is welcome news.

But a big win for Van Loan?.....or a big win for Canada ?

After all , in your link...."Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said last month that a fee to simply enter the U.S. would be bad for business between the two countries

Good for Peter for saying something or writing a letter (he can go rest up now) , but it was the COngress who knew it was dumb.

[scribblet]

Sorta like the dumb thing the Florida legislature did when they passed a law requiring international visitors to have a foreign driver's permit. After the big uproar and a run on CAA for the forms, they rescinded it.

[Boges]

Many US Border towns are dependent on cross-border shoppers. A tax on Canadians crossing the border would hurt their livelihood. That being said, a fee of $5 or so would hardly hurt considering you're going down there to make money in the first place.

[scribblet]

I actually don't see how it's going to help snowbirds because if they stay longer than so many days, they lose their health care. I think in Ontario it's 182 days.

[guyser]

I actually don't see how it's going to help snowbirds because if they stay longer than so many days, they lose their health care. I think in Ontario it's 182 days.

Which is why most go from Nov to March. 150 days and no worries.

Plenty of them fly home for a day or two. That resets the clock

[scribblet]

I don't think it does reset the clock. Can you confirm that, because if it does I know a few people who would do that.

[AlienB]

While everyone in Canada should be happy about not having to pay more,,

Yeah Canadians only usually pay when they use one of the bridges they are forced to cross....

imagine people at other land routes, or worse having to staff remote entry locations without staff at the posts.... that would probably cost more at those locations.

but its all pay for ID , etc.. just government money grabs..

so sad the US made so many enemies in the world and Canada is dragged along with it, that we can't have open borders. Such a paranoid society.

Its these measures that will tag us all, why in a world of antitrust should we trust those who use the most violence and oppressive force to protect us... are we to believe that the good people are in control?

It is just outright nonsense to have 10 different ID's and only one of them being usable for travel so much overlap. These fees and passports are just class warfare against the poor.

The rich can always afford to pay, it is always the little man who gets hit and oppressed by these measures.

Of course now to travel instead of paying a few extra dollars for that trip or two each year we pay 80$ more for our passports. Huh?

Bad for business, what about the poor.. oh the poor arn't allowed to travel, welcome to the age of estates.

Total BS.

What about all the added security fees for flying and all that tripe. If airlines need more security they'd pay for it, the government shouldn't be instituting more security than the airlines are willing to pay for.

These are all BS added costs to further harness totally unneeded totalitarian police state methods.

I support a bond for entry to other countries that is refundable provided no charges to the state you are visiting. however bottom line here is should americans be taxed for Canadians to travel.. no.. and vice versa.

I'd gladly pay the fee for entry, costs need to cover themselves. However, there is so much nonsense in all this. So many extra layers and other nonsense.

Chances are the US recoupes some of these costs, its not like it has subsidized food sales or comercial goods sales where they are getting a loss from Canadian travellers.. while yes it is true they are loosing in some cases by giving Canadian businesses easier access but that is all WTO stuff.

We need to get on with getting the DNA databases going at birth from stem cells, and storing stem cells. As well as getting that DNA into a DNAbarcode ID so that people's DNA (mrna/rna etc..) are on file and correspond to their DNA barcode, so we can get this mark of the beast stuff over with, then have people get that ricegrain or chip that has been going down that has to match the DNA or it is rejected.

That and all the new passport feature we should just move on and use one ID .. the passport.

We should also have open borders. Anyone who wants to get into either country can anyway.

Edited May 13, 2013 by AlienB

[guyser]

I don't think it does reset the clock. Can you confirm that, because if it does I know a few people who would do that.

Kind of does, but apparently they have amended some of what I knew to be real.

Here is a link, should straighten it up for you.

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/travel.aspx

[bush_cheney2004]

If Canadians don't like U.S. policies for crossing the border, they are free to make other choices.

[WWWTT]

Thank goodness, good for Mr. Van Loan.

Ya,thank you conservatives for kissing the butt of the US till there is no end!

Every other person in Canada with any backbone became so embarased with all the US butt kissing by conservative politicians that they had to turn their heads.But you conservative politicians just kept on brown nosing and it's finaly paid off!

But oh no,the conservatives won't stop now!Starting first thing tomorrow morning,they're going to roll up their sleeves and get right at US butt kissing and put their back right into it without missing a beat!

You never know when there will be some minor issue coming up in 2014 or 2015 that may require some serious brown nosing to turn around.

Mission accomplished Harper crew!Give yourselves a big pat on the back!And get right back in there and pucker up!

WWWTT

[The_Squid]

How is getting the fee removed "butt kissing"? What did the gov't do or say that you would consider "butt kissing"? Please be specific.

[bush_cheney2004]

A nice rant about Canadian 'monopoly money' no-go in the "States":

[bush_cheney2004]

The proposed "border fee" would have impacted seemingly common shopping sprees as documented in this YouTube video. To an average American, it is odd that Canadians would go to this much trouble to buy common consumer goods, and maintain a post office address in "the states".

Is this common ?

[Bryan]

The proposed "border fee" would have impacted seemingly common shopping sprees as documented in this YouTube video. To an average American, it is odd that Canadians would go to this much trouble to buy common consumer goods, and maintain a post office address in "the states".

Is this common ?

Vlogging a mundane shopping trip like that is not all that common. Routine day trips to the US for no other reason than to shop though, are VERY common. My wife and her friends do at least 6 of those year, often more. Having a US postal address or using a drop ship service is VERY common too.

The biggest reason is a lot of American companies refuse to send their products to Canada. The stores here don't carry them, and you're not allowed to order them. So if there's something in the US you like, you either need to come down to a store in the US to buy it, or get it sent to a US address, then go pick it up. Price is also a huge issue. Many of the American companies that do sell in Canada, charge significantly more. So much more, that often even after the cost of the trip, the items still end up costing much less.

[bush_cheney2004]

Vlogging a mundane shopping trip like that is not all that common. Routine day trips to the US for no other reason than to shop though, are VERY common. My wife and her friends do at least 6 of those year, often more. Having a US postal address or using a drop ship service is VERY common too.

Thanks for the clarification....I thought the post office strategy was more about beating outrageous taxes, duty, and other fees. I know that when I sell items to Canadians on auction sites there is often anxiety over declared value and shipping fees into a province.

I like this vlog because, with the exception of a positive references to her 'Nexus' card, it is apolitical and singularly focused on getting consumer goods and gasoline at lower prices. The near empty gas tank strategy while waiting in line to cross the border added a bit of drama, but I realize that a near empty tank maximizes savings. Maybe she had Gerry Cans in the trunk.

In this context, a U.S. "border fee" cuts into the very direct and purposeful objective of consumer savings, and any rants about such a fee make a lot more sense. The "optics" is not politics, but rather economics.

[WWWTT]

How is getting the fee removed "butt kissing"? What did the gov't do or say that you would consider "butt kissing"? Please be specific.

Actually the conservatives did absolutely nothing to help.

This was a US decission,not a Canadian one.

But don't tell the conservatives,they already have their lip balm on their puckered up into a cramp lips!

WWWTT

[The_Squid]

Actually the conservatives did absolutely nothing to help.

This was a US decission,not a Canadian one.

But don't tell the conservatives,they already have their lip balm on their puckered up into a cramp lips!

WWWTT

So lobbying and diplomacy doesn't work?

You didn't answer the question. What did they do to kiss butt?

[Bryan]

bush_cheney2004, on 14 May 2013 - 09:19 AM, said:

Thanks for the clarification....I thought the post office strategy was more about beating outrageous taxes, duty, and other fees. I know that when I sell items to Canadians on auction sites there is often anxiety over declared value and shipping fees into a province.

You still have to carry the stuff back across the border, so whatever is due will still get paid (unless you "smuggle" it). It's actually more likely that you won't get charged those fees when getting something mailed to Canada than it is when carrying across.

The biggest issue when it comes to shipping cross border is the method you use. NEVER send anything from the US to Canada using UPS. They are really bad for adding their own outrageous brokerage fees that have nothing to do with taxes or customs. If you use the post office, not only do they not charge those fees, more often than not they don't charge any taxes or duty either.

I like this vlog because, with the exception of a positive references to her 'Nexus' card, it is apolitical and singularly focused on getting consumer goods and gasoline at lower prices. The near empty gas tank strategy while waiting in line to cross the border added a bit of drama, but I realize that a near empty tank maximizes savings. Maybe she had Gerry Cans in the trunk.

You think a Nexus card is political? I don't think very many Canadians would think it was. It's just the smart way to go if you travel to the US more than a couple times a year.

Gas is an issue for sure. The price difference is HUGE. Going down and coming back, it's de rigeur to try to hold off as long as you can to maximize the savings.

In this context, a U.S. "border fee" cuts into the very direct and purposeful objective of consumer savings, and any rants about such a fee make a lot more sense. The "optics" is not politics, but rather economics.

And it's economics for American border towns more than anything else. Cross-border shopping Canadians are a critical component of their local economy. If Canadians stay home, it hurts them a lot.

[bush_cheney2004]

And it's economics for American border towns more than anything else. Cross-border shopping Canadians are a critical component of their local economy. If Canadians stay home, it hurts them a lot.

I have no reason to doubt this, and it seems that far more Canadians have a "border mentality" when it comes to such things. A far smaller percentage of Americans routinely interact with the Canadian or Mexican border. Years ago, day trips to Mexico from San Diego were all the rage for cheap shopping and drinking, but now it is not recommended. Based on other blog comments, methinks that some Canadians would react very negatively if denied the "right" to shop in the U.S.

[Fletch 27]

Must have been Mulcairs successful trip to the US that aided this?

With Van Loan on the job, there is hope for the Keystone pipeline and the thousands of jobs to be opened.. Im hoping he can make it 2 for 2 !

Actually the conservatives did absolutely nothing to help.

This was a US decission,not a Canadian one.

But don't tell the conservatives,they already have their lip balm on their puckered up into a cramp lips!

WWWTT

[Bryan]

I have no reason to doubt this, and it seems that far more Canadians have a "border mentality" when it comes to such things. A far smaller percentage of Americans routinely interact with the Canadian or Mexican border. Years ago, day trips to Mexico from San Diego were all the rage for cheap shopping and drinking, but now it is not recommended. Based on other blog comments, methinks that some Canadians would react very negatively if denied the "right" to shop in the U.S.

I hear that. I was in San Antonio in October, and in my mind it was obvious that we were going to take at least a day trip to Mexico. In the minds of the local Texans I was with, that was crazy talk. Some of them had lived an hour from the Mexican border their whole lives and never even considered going across. My wife and I went anyway, and we had a great time. The food was awesome, the beer was cold, and the people were very friendly.

Is that the same mentality most Americans take when it comes to vacations too? Do they mostly stick to places that are at least U.S. territories (if not US proper)? For us, it rarely occurs to us to NOT travel to another country. Summers in Minnesota, winters in Cuba is our usual pattern.

[bush_cheney2004]

...Is that the same mentality most Americans take when it comes to vacations too? Do they mostly stick to places that are at least U.S. territories (if not US proper)? For us, it rarely occurs to us to NOT travel to another country. Summers in Minnesota, winters in Cuba is our usual pattern.

Certainly their are millions of Americans who travel often and/or live abroad. Fifty million were not even born in the U.S. But as was noted in a Canadian op-ed piece, Americans do not have to leave the country for better weather or tourist destinations the way that Canadians seem to do. I live fairly close to the Canadian border, but it would never occur to me to travel north for shopping. However, hunters and other sportsman like to travel from my state to Canada.

[Bryan]

Americans do not have to leave the country for better weather or tourist destinations the way that Canadians seem to do.

True. We don't have a Florida (let alone a Hawaii). If we want a break from winter, there's no way around it, we need a passport.

See, we DO need Turks & Caicos to join us!