New York – A northern New York congressman says the U.S. tourism and fishing industries along the St. Lawrence River will be crippled by Canada’s policy requiring boaters to report to customs every time they venture into Canadian waters.
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The Watertown Daily Times reports that Rep. William Owens of Plattsburgh has written to the Canadian ambassador to the United States to protest the policy. The newspaper recently published a story about a man from the Thousand Islands region whose boat was seized by Canadian border agents as he fished while unanchored on Canada’s side of the river in late May.
Canadian officials say boaters must report to a Canadian customs officer each time they cross the border along the river.
The man whose boat was seized had to pay a $1,000 fine on the spot to keep his vessel.
In this day and age, both sides of the border have to be especially vigilant, whether the Canadian or the USA side.
What about yeshiva scuba divers who dive in illegally …do they need to report too?
The United States has done worse. In the Michel Jalbert incident, a Canadian man crossing the border to buy gasoline in Maine was jailed for 35 days because he didn’t report into US Customs. And that Customs office was closed at the time.
#1 is correct — both sides have to be more careful these days. Still, there are mechanisms like NEXUS for frequent pre-checked travelers to cross land borders more easily. There ought to be similar procedures for mariners.
Canada is very strict. It is about time the USA woke up!! The Canadian border from East to West is a haven for drugs, guns and terrorists!! They just had a joint venture between the Canadians and the US where they arrested quite a number of people in a few provinces and states. ( about a month ago)
What if I was on a “peace flotilla” boat, do I still need to stop at customs??????