With the 2019 Labour Day weekend upon us, many folks and families will find themselves travelling to see family, go camping, or take a final holiday before the back to school routine sets in.

Rebecca Purdy, senior spokesperson with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says there are a few things to keep in mind if you're planning to travel across the Canada/United States border: 

  • The border's wait times tend to fluctuate quite a bit, the best thing is to visit their website or download the CanBorder app to monitor wait times. When you're re-entering Canada, arriving in the morning is a little better than in the afternoon or evening. The North Portal border crossing has the best capacity to handle large amounts of traffic and is open 24 hours.
  • It's a lot more busy on Monday when people are getting back from the long weekend, you might see some longer wait times then.
  • If you're unsure whether an item is allowed into Canada or if it's duty-free, just go to the CBSA website or call the border information service line, toll-free, save and tally up all your receipts, make full declaration, answer all the questions honestly. Even if you didn't buy something or have a receipt for it, it's best to just declare everything that you are bringing back. 
  • You need to have proper ID for yourself, children, or any dependants going with you: passport, birth certificate, citizenship card, or Indian status card. Passport is the best and most universally accepted. 
  • The legalization of cannabis did not change any border-related rules. It is still illegal to take cannabis in and out of the country unless otherwise authorized by Health Canada. That includes CBD oil. Not declaring it is a serious criminal offence. You could be arrested and prosecuted. If you declare you minimize the risk of the CBSA taking criminal action. 

You can call the CBSA toll free at 1-800-461-9999.