It seems the Canadian goverment has changed enforcement policies in their waters. Apparently, as a technical matter, unless you are navigating directly from one US location to another US location, you must check in with customs before entering Canadian water! Yeeks!

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/a...219939/-1/news

wow that is a Catch 22 because unless you have certain credentials you CANNOT just call and report it...you have to do it at designated areas. Not to mention the channel in that area doesn't run in just one country's water in it entirerity so anyone navigating the the river will have to check-in and out. Another interesting topic to note is it looks like joint operations between U.S. and Candian Border Patrol Customs and Homeland security may be extending to the US and Candian Coast Gaurd as well on a larger scale.
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/a...WS02/306099969

And they are enforcing it!

http://blog.syracuse.com/outdoors/20...ts_canadi.html

According to the US State Department they were only enforcing long standing regulations..... http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/a...229942/-1/news

Something more must have happened then ther original story reflects ....

I have heard there has been a lot of attention being focused on that stretch of the rivier for "suspicious activity" which might have been a factor. I do know that we used to do a lot of rides along the Canadian shoreline that will definately keep me more on the US side from now on. Looks like as long as you are using say the Candian channel vs the US channel without stopping to get to some of US islands(i.e. using Canadian channel from Singer Castle to get to Potters) you SHOULD be okay.

This is just plain screwed up! Does Canada really want to do this? That puts more than half of Lake St. Clair off limits. This is not good...

On the West Coast here I boat around the Gulf Islands which border VERY close to the San Juan (US) Islands. I have been stopped by the US Coast Guard in CANADIAN waters for "security checks" ...go figure......

But you were not robbed of your boat or $1,000 cash! I have always lived near the border and I boat (or used to) on Canadian waters. I have always seen Canadians welcomed here with open arms. I am pissed off. Two weeks ago I led another Donzi Classic across Lake St. Clair to the mouth of the Thames River. We could have both lost our boats.

I don't read this as just a Canada thing. Our stretch of the river and border is really more of a joint effort between the US and Canada and appears they are only going to get more tightly knit. I know when I went through my Interview for my Nexus card I did my canadian side of the interview and then went literally to the next cube and did the US interview.

This is the first time that I have heard this and I haven't heard of anyone around Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River being stopped or charged for driving in Canadian waters and I haven't been stopped driving in U.S. waters also. That would really suck and affect tourism in both countries. I have a Nexus Card which is good for 5 years and only cost $50.00 CDN. Can't go wrong with that and you can us it at the Border Crossings and don't need to have your Pass Port with you.