Where Should New Telephone Border Reporting Sites Be Located?

Official title: Telephone Reporting Sites in areas formerly covered by the Remote Area Border Crossing permit program

Open Policy & Studies Indigenous & Northern Transportation
The Remote Area Border Crossing permit program is ending. After that, anyone entering Canada through remote areas of northern Ontario or from the Northwest Angle into Manitoba will need to report to CBSA—either at a port of entry or by calling from a designated telephone site. The agency wants to know where these new phone-in sites should be located.

Why This Matters

Live near the Northwest Angle, Lake of the Woods, or Lake Superior's Canadian shore? Cross the border by boat or small plane? This change affects how you'll report to customs. The old permit system let you cross without stopping—now you'll need to call in from specific locations every time.

What Could Change

New telephone reporting sites will be designated along the Ontario-Minnesota border, around Lake of the Woods, Lake Superior's shore, Sault Ste. Marie's upper locks, and Cockburn Island. Where these sites end up determines how far you'll need to travel to make your border call. The process will align more closely with how U.S. Customs handles remote crossings.

Key Issues

  • Where should new telephone reporting sites be located in the Northwest Angle area?
  • What locations would work best along Lake Superior's Canadian shore?
  • Where should sites be placed from Pigeon River through Lake of the Woods?

How to Participate

  1. Complete the Telephone Reporting Site feedback form to suggest locations for new reporting sites.
  2. Review the Remote Area Border Crossing Program page to understand the current system being replaced.

Submit Your Input

Suggest Telephone Reporting Site Locations

Key Documents