canada water rules
 

so i spent the morning today learning the "rules" of boating in canadian waters. being i live in western newyork when i boat in lake Erie, upper niagara river, lower niagara river, or lake ontario. there are some rules to follow.

i will break it down and give you the short version

1- if you are not under power(floating), anchored, tied to another boat, or touch canadian land. you MUST call in.
if you touch land or tie up to another boat you must call into the US upon returning for inspection

2- if you are under power no need to call in.

3- you must provide citizen ship for EVERYONE on your boat including children. If the children arent yours you must have a letter from the childrens parents to prove your allowed to have them on your boat. and copy of a birth cert. for minors. AND it would be beneficial to have the letter from parents NOTORIZED.

4- if you want to go tubing or skiing with your kids and enter canadian water you must call in and are subject for inspection at nearest port. so make sure you have time set aside for that in your day of tubing

it was a 3 hour presentation this morning basically saying if you want to be in canadian water make sure you have 26 forms of id. leave the kids at home unless you have dna results showing direct bloodlines to prove the children arent kidnapped for a day out having fun. and if you do leave your country you have to get permission to re-enter and if you dont the first offense is a 2k fine and 10k fine anytime after that.

at the end it was basically stated that as an american boater in canadian waters we are guilty of being drug smugglers, gun smugglers, and terriorist threats until we are inspected and deemed trustworthy.

i wish i could have recorded it today

You left out the part that if the officer determines you are in Canadian waters, should have called in and didn't, they can fine you $1000 on the spot payable by cash or credit card and if you can't pay they impound the boat and charge you towing and storage till you do. This is right from the mouth of Canadian customs as I sat on my boat in Port Colbourne marina.

It's BS. We seem to welcome Canadians with open arms at ports such as PIB. I've also been told not to have a flare gun in Canadian waters.

Canadians are welcomed at Ports in the U.S. as well as Americans are welcome in Canadian Ports if everyone follows the Laws. Everything started on September 11. 2001, the World was never the same again. Take a flight and look at the screening you must go through before boarding, take your shoes off, take your belt off, take out everything in your pockets, place your purse, wallet in the basket, now let us frisk you or go through the X-Ray machine and you better have a Passport. These new precautions are all because of 911 not only in Canada or U.S. but around the world. When Canadians are boating in U.S. waters around the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. Canadians who plan to Land, Anchor or Cruise in American waters must first call in to U.S. Customs and everyone on board must have a Nexus Card, I-68 Permit for everyone on the boat. You must give U.S. Customs any information they ask for and if the direct you to go to a Port to be checked then you must do it before anything else happens. U.S. Customs may be satisfied with all your information and you are free to enjoy the day at a U.S. Port. Upon Returning to Canada you must call Canadian Customs and tell them that you are reentering Canadian waters and they may want to met with you at a Port or they may be satisfied with the information you have given them. This also goes for our American friends, you have to call Canadian Custom that you are entering Canadian waters and where you are going. Everyone must have a Nexus Card or I-68 Permit and when you return American waters you must call American Customs. There is no BS as to the way Americans are treated when they enter Canadian waters or Ports , from what Canadians are treated when we enter American waters or Ports. I use to like to cruise on the American side of the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair when I had friends on board but now things have changed. As for the Flare Gun issue I haven't ever heard of a problem over here yet. I love to go to U.S. Ports for a change and to do things over there like the Old School Reunion or Metro Beach. Knowing this has been around for years go and get yourself a Nexus Card $50.00, good for 5 years. I got mine a few years ago and I would love to see you come to Canada so get yourself a Nexus Card and tell your friends to do the same and you shouldn't have any problem. Look the Customs and Border Patrol, Police and Coast Guard all treat you differently. You may get stopped by someone that isn't to nice or you may met some supper nice Law Enforcement people. It is what it is and there is no reason to **** on the other country, get the Nexus Card if you want to come over or don't come over, I'm glad I got mine and love to come over and met my American friends. One more thing, having alchol on the boat and drinking it differs in Canada from the U.S. but thats another issue.

Just a slight update to the reference to Nexus passes. If you call into a Nexus clearing number all passengers must have a Nexus otherwise you have to call into Canpass going to Canada. Americans coming back same kinda thing...if you call into Us Customs via the Nexus number all passengers must have Nexus otherwise you have to go to a port of entry that has a video phone. We've had Nexus for 2 yrs now and it's the best $50 you can spend. You can call in going either direction up to 4 hrs ahead of arrival and coming back to US none of the BS with video phone There's plenty of people that don't call in coming back but they're gonna make an example out of somebody and the last I want to read about is how US Customers acquired a 37 Active Thunder "chase boat" for their fleet!! Party on Garth

Thats a load of BS. canadian boaters get treated far worse.. like we are all criminals going to the USA. I have almost completely given up on boating to US destinations for that reason.. sick of it.

Somebody said what triggered the pissing contest was the US fisheries went after the Canadians about commercial fishing something or another. Now we have a pissing contest that we're pawns in?
I honestly haven't had any problems but I make sure I toe the line which isn't all that hard with Nexus in hand

I boat out of Crystal Beach in Canada on Lake Erie. We go to Buffalo by boat a few times a season. Last time we returned to Canada, we called customs, they told us to hold on and someone would be down soon to search us. Almost a 2 hour wait! The border is 15 minutes away. Then they got pissed because everyone was not sitting on the boat waiting. We were on a 20 ft bowrider. At least going into the US you can stop at a video phone and not have to wait around.

OK, I never meant to offend our Canadian friends. The US has a legitimate concern about national security but they should treat Canadians with the same respect and professionalism with which they have treated me. I've lived in a border area my whole life and been to Canada hundreds of times. As a kid we would go there just to drive around, then nudy bars, high alcohol beer, casinos etc. I've enjoyed an open border for over 50 years. I've unknownly broken these water laws at least a dozen times without knowing it including anchoring and swimming in Canadian waters or just drifting on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair which can be less crowded. I guess I've been lucky.

the best part of the whole presentation yesterday was when a guy asked the question " do all of your co-workers know the laws and enforce them the same way OR do they just make them up as they go?" that was asked to the 3 CANADIAN officers there..... it was so quiet for about 10 seconds you could hear a mouse fart... then the head of the buffalo launch club says "any more questions" and we never got an answer.......