Driving into Canada

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I just realized we broke some serious laws going to/from Canada. We smuggled in 4 bottles of wine I think (for 2 adults to deal with 3 kids). And then brought back some frozen steaks in the cooler. I can't recall if they asked me about either substance at the crossing, but I'm sure I told the truth if asked. Maybe they said "do you have anything to declare" and I said "no".

Luckily I left the AK at home, so sounds like I dodged a bullet there.
 
We used to have a team of consultants come down to Raleigh NC from Toronto. I wonder if they were violating our immigration laws since they were "working" while here. I didn't realize it was that strict.
 
Meadbh said:
They probably had H1-B visas.

Canadians in U.S.A. - Working in the U.S.
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The guy flew down for an afternoon meeting and didn't even stay the night I don't think. He has clients mostly in Canada but I think he also consulted some in Europe and S. Africa (toll road industry).

Would that require an H1B? I never thought about that requiring an H1B. We may have had an illegal immigrant on our payroll... :D Maybe we can get his $250/hr rate refunded.

I'm more familiar with long term salaried workers getting H1B's to work for a year or two in the US. That's pretty common in the tech, engineering, and pharma industries around here (cheaper workers that work longer hours due to fear of deportation).
 
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The time that I was interrogated at the border in the 1970s is amusing in retrospect. I had gotten a shared ride from California to Vancouver. There were 4 of us in a decrepit van which broke down twice in Oregon. None of us knew one another. All of us were American. The van owner intended to drive to Alaska for the summer. (I'd be shocked if the van made it.) By the time we got to the Canadian border, 2 of the other 3 passengers had consumed all of their illegal drugs. One of them was returning to B.C. where he was living illegally in the Gulf Islands. When we reach the border, the agents, in their wisdom, decided they wanted to interrogate me but not the other 3 passengers. I was taken to a room where the polite agent asked me a bunch of questions. The questions all concerned me, not the other passengers. I answered all of her questions but didn't volunteer any information about the others. When she told me I was free to go and could re-join my friends, I made sure she understood that the others weren't my friends. When I got back in the van with them and we drove away, I found out that they had been scared to death about what I might say to the Canadian authorities.

The van broke down a 3rd time when we were a few blocks from where I was going to be dropped off in Vancouver. I got out and walked.
 
They won't let you bring your own firewood either. Yep, someone we know tried that....
 
I'm in Winnipeg so if you need Manitoba specific info let me know (though from a Canadian perspective). I think the border procedures are adequately covered already.
 
I traveled to Canada over 30 times in the last 40 years. A few business trips to Montreal, Moncton, Toronto, Quebec and Edmonton and the rest were driving trips to Montreal to visit DW extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles). I only had one incident where my luggage was searched in Edmonton for 10 minutes or so and I was asked a few questions by an extremely polite officer.

My brother on the other hand was returning from Montreal with his girlfriend once and the US customs agents in Vermont detained them for over an hour and thoroughly searched every inch of his car only to apologize later and send them on their way.
 
bld999 said:
No pepper spray either. If you go camping and a bear knocks on your door, just yell.
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Pepper spray clearly marked for defense against bears is allowed. We carried it into Canada this summer, identifying it at the border both ways with no issues.
 
Corporateburnout said:
I traveled to Canada over 30 times in the last 40 years. A few business trips to Montreal, Moncton, Toronto, Quebec and Edmonton and the rest were driving trips to Montreal to visit DW extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles). I only had one incident where my luggage was searched in Edmonton for 10 minutes or so and I was asked a few questions by an extremely polite officer.

My brother on the other hand was returning from Montreal with his girlfriend once and the US customs agents in Vermont detained them for over an hour and thoroughly searched every inch of his car only to apologize later and send them on their way.
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So true. I live within 35 miles of the border but rarely go to Canada anymore because I hate returning through US customs. Ever since 911, these orifices think they have a right to be thuggish to anyone and everyone.
 
travelover said:
So true. I live within 35 miles of the border but rarely go to Canada anymore because I hate returning through US customs. Ever since 911, these orifices think they have a right to be thuggish to anyone and everyone.
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You're assessment agrees with my sister and BIL. They each go across the bridge several times a week (from Canada to the US and back home to Canada). They know every one of the agents, but the agents pretend not to know them, and act thuggish. Weird that you see the same guy twice a week for 20 years, and you're not allowed to say "Hey Bill, how are the wife and kids?"
 
sengsational said:
You're assessment agrees with my sister and BIL. They each go across the bridge several times a week (from Canada to the US and back home to Canada). They know every one of the agents, but the agents pretend not to know them, and act thuggish. Weird that you see the same guy twice a week for 20 years, and you're not allowed to say "Hey Bill, how are the wife and kids?"
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The only time I've seen some friendliness in a US customs agent is back in 2004 upon returning from Montreal he asked where I lived in MA then cracked a smile and said "Home of the Superbowl champs". He apparently was a big Patriots fan.
 
sengsational said:
You're assessment agrees with my sister and BIL. They each go across the bridge several times a week (from Canada to the US and back home to Canada). They know every one of the agents, but the agents pretend not to know them, and act thuggish. Weird that you see the same guy twice a week for 20 years, and you're not allowed to say "Hey Bill, how are the wife and kids?"
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I'm sure it is what they are trained (ordered?) to do.

The minute you start building relationships/friendships....that's when you set yourself up for possible collusion, etc.

This can be very problematic, depending on the type of work.

I've heard that UPS drivers are constantly rotated thru different routes, simply so they cannot get into "cahoots" with the customers, for example.

omni
 
sengsational said:
You're assessment agrees with my sister and BIL. They each go across the bridge several times a week (from Canada to the US and back home to Canada). They know every one of the agents, but the agents pretend not to know them, and act thuggish. Weird that you see the same guy twice a week for 20 years, and you're not allowed to say "Hey Bill, how are the wife and kids?"
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There must be a secret anti-charm school for border guards!
 
I spent a life leaving the US and coming back, thankfully over now. US Customs is and has been always famous as thuggish. There is strict and there is careful and there is thuggish. They got thuggish covered. I never had an issue, just an attitude of who the hell are you and what do you think you are doing here. Nonetheless I was at Kennedy coming back from six weeks in China. I had my usual light luggage, one small back pack and a computer bag (they have laundries all over China no need to carry your wardrobe). So there I stand a middle age engineer, beat up leather jacket, khaki pants, work shirt, hard hat sunburn, small bag, computer and a book. There is a NYC cop standing there and he says to me so where you coming from, I said six weeks on a job site in China. He looks at me, sticks out his hand and says welcome home grabs my arm takes me to the front of the line tells them, this guy is OK and they say ok and off I go. Sometimes they throw you one.
 
Just as a counterpoint to the stories here about US and Canadian border guards, there are plenty of worse places. I promise.

Like the Kazakh border where the guard brought out a Baggie of cocaine and a drug dog, with the implication crystal clear that unless he was given a "gift", the drugs would be planted on our bus. He wound up with a bottle of jäger, a bottle of wine, and some terrible Russian beer. After three cat and mouse hours.

Or the Mongolian border, where they wanted to search every backpack and tent unloaded from the top rack, for nine people. That was a few hours.

Or the Russian border where we sat four hours, as the guard let every other vehicle go in front of us just because he could.

But then there was joyous Kyrgyzstan, where the guards flirted with the single girls, spoke perfect English, and posed for a dozen photos with us. That restored my faith in border guard humanity.

You never know how sketchy you can look until you arrive at a border at 2am, sans showers for a week, with five countries represented in your stack of passports, all on a bright yellow school bus.

Canada was a piece of cake by comparison. :)


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
 
Thinking about the life of a border guard...where everyone you meet might be a potential drug smuggler, terrorist, vacationer or lawful citizen (and a whole bunch more options)...and you're supposed to discern which is which. This wouldn't be easy. I might become cranky too.

omni
 
In all fairness, I have to say that I've encountered both surly and friendly guards on both sides of the Canada-USA border.

Occasionally quite friendly, occasionally quite surly, but most of the time it has been a completely neutral encounter.

Limited data set, though. I've probably only crossed that border 50-60 times in my whole life.
 
omni550 said:
I've heard that UPS drivers are constantly rotated thru different routes, simply so they cannot get into "cahoots" with the customers, for example.
Click to expand...

This may be true now, but back in the late 80's when I was actually shipping boxed software from my garage I got to know the local UPS driver pretty well.

We had a system: if my garage was open a little, she'd stop for a pickup. If not, she didn't need to stop.

No collusion involved ;-)
 
We go back and forth on a fairly regular basis.

Good and bad on both sides of the line. About equal.

Jerks will be jerks and they are not defined by geography or employer!

Overall, they are just fine. Difficult job. Dealing with the public is not fun....especially in that environment. Most are just trying to do their job as best they can. Anyone can have a bad day.
 
Sarah in SC said:
...
Like the Kazakh border where the guard brought out a Baggie of cocaine and a drug dog, with the implication crystal clear that unless he was given a "gift", the drugs would be planted on our bus. He wound up with a bottle of jäger, a bottle of wine, and some terrible Russian beer. After three cat and mouse hours.
...
Click to expand...
That puts things into perspective.

Finding that tipping point in bribery is not my strong point, especially with a language barrier. I'd avoid all borders if it meant having to do that every time!
 
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