New Border Restrictions?

[StillH20 Eye]

A group of us are planning a mid-January fishing trip to LOW in Nestor Falls, Ontario. A few people declined to go because they heard Gov. Pawlenty announced new border restrictions being enforced as of January 1(passport or birth cert., other??? limitations). The Canadian border authorities may also tighten their restrictions as a response to US restrictions, or so the story goes. I missed the story, as I was out of state at the time. Can anyone provide details, or does anyone have any contacts that I might try for additional information?

[fishermn]

I do a lot of cross border travel for work, and based on what the customs agents have all told me, it has always been required to have an official proof of residency (i.e. birth certificate or passport). In general in the past, they have been pretty lenient about letting people across with just their driver licenses, but I can understand why the want to tighten up on this. Its no big deal to get an official copy of your birth certificate, and have it with you for these type trips, I have been doing this for years. A passport is a little more costly (around $150), but can save a lot of pain and suffering if you ever do get stopped. I certainly wouldnt be too concerned unless maybe you have a criminal record or something of that nature. If you want more specifics, call the customs office at the entry point where you will be crossing over.

[StillH20 Eye]

Thanks fishermn! No criminal record here, and I always do carry my passport when fishing in Canada, as that was my understanding as well. I guess the requirement of proof of citizenship was always there, but rarely enforced/checked. We'll see if that changes Jan. 1. In our group of 10 going up in 2 weeks, there will likely be a few who gripe about having to get a certified birth certificate for proof of citizenship, but better than being left at the border with a "See ya when we're on our way back from fishing"!

[fishermn]

There area also new regulations for persons that are not residents of the US or Canada. Basically, you have to provide a fingerprint and they run a check through all the government agencies to verify that you aren't on any of the "watch" lists. From what the said on the news the check takes 5 - 10 minutes to complete.