New Border Crossing Regulations Effective June 1st...
Everyone: I have not used the Internet or posted much anything lately but this info on the new US-Canada border crossing regulations caught me by surprise.
I found out about these rules thru a topic posted at
http://www.Railroad.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=46 section about these new rules effective June 1st-an article written in the Toronto Globe and Mail dated 3/25 with the title "Glory Days of Open Border: Gone?" caught my eye here and generated a interesting debate about crossing the border by train - the NYC-Toronto jointly operated Amtrak/VIA Rail Canada Maple Leaf would be strongly affected by this rule-maybe making the Customs inspection delays stretch to the intolerable extent causing a loss of ridership maybe even threatening the Maple Leaf's existence altogether. Note topic title "Crossing the US-Canada Border" on the first Amtrak page there.
I now wonder if having an enhanced drivers license would be enough-even though the NYSDMV says that it would be even with these new regulations
See:
www.nysdmv.com/edl-main.htm about these NYS licenses. I am considering strongly getting one-provided I can use this crossing the border.
If these rules go into effect as mentioned on June 1st crossing the border those first weeks may be a huge problem to say the least.
I noticed someone mentioned the paranoia in the USA concerning the border-I do agree noticing the attitude by US DHS's Janet Napolitano-which was definitely disheartening to me - I feel that she is equaling the US-Canada border to the problem-plagued US-Mexico border - she is from Arizona in case anyone did not know - which as we all know is totally different knowing the historic ties among other things between the USA and Canada.
I am for making crossing the USA-Canada border as seamless as can be but those glory days could be behind us for good thanks to the Customs/Immigration attitudes between the two countries.
I remember my first trips back between 1979-1983 to WNY and Southern Ontario and I recall things like in those first years was to go to NF or Fort Erie to fill up the car with cheaper Canadian gasoline taking advantage of the exchange rate and perhaps stopping at those Chinese restaraunts in FE.
I also recall being set straight on the attitudes of WNY and Southern Ontario concerning these ties between them-I remember asking "That's another country right there though?" and I was told and found out about the close relationship between them. I later understood after crossing the border a few times for myself. I also remember that WNY and Southern Ontario have a better border relationship then Michigan and Ontario do.
I hope that these new regulations do NOT ruin the historic ties between our countries because of bureaucracy and paranoia in our Governments.
-Insight and Commentary from Long Island Mike-