October was when Donny Sorlie first realized his business might be in trouble. An American guest staying at the Chippewa Inn, co-owned by Donny and his wife, Lisa, mentioned that they were having trouble securing a Remote Access Border Crossing (RABC) permit from the Canadian government. When Sorlie looked into it, he discovered that the federal government had paused all new and renewing RABC permits.
An RABC permit allows Americans to cross into Canada in certain remote areas without having to enter at a designated border crossing. They do, however, have to declare any goods they’re bringing into the country.
The permit grants holders access from Pigeon River through to Lake of the Woods, to the Canadian shore of Lake Superior, Cockburn Island (near Manitoulin Island in Georgian Bay), the upper lock system of Sault Ste. Marie, and the Northwest Angle Area near the border of Ontario and Manitoba.
The permit is often used by Americans who want to fish or boat in Canadian waters. In fact, fishing expeditions is one of the Chippewa Inn’s main draws. “Our guests are pretty much all American,” says Donny.
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He and Lisa took possession of the Inn in 2023. It sits on the Canadian side of Saganaga Lake, about two and a half hours west of Thunder Bay, and is only accessible by boat. Donny is in the process of prepping the inn for winter. It’s the first time he’s going to keep it open year-round, with guests coming to ice fish, snowmobile, and snowshoe. But with the RABC program paused, he may have to cancel the guests’ stays and close the inn for the foreseeable future.
This is because Donny is also American. He lives across the border in Minnesota and uses his RABC permit to boat across Saganaga Lake to get to the inn. “It’s only like seven miles,” he says. “You boat right to the landing, unload all your stuff, and there you are.” But Donny’s RABC permit expires on December 31. If he’s not able to renew it, the commute becomes complicated. He’d have to drive several hours over to Grand Portage in Minnesota to cross at an official entry point and then get across two lakes in a private motorboat, somehow portaging the boat between lakes.
“For us to haul materials and gear and everything around, especially in the summertime, it’s not impossible, but almost impossible,” he says.
Plus, if guests aren’t able to get permits, there are fewer opportunities for fishing expeditions.
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In an email, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said that it paused the processing of new and renewal RABC applications on September 25. The agency said this was to review and update its procedures. “The CBSA regularly assesses its programs to respond to current service needs and evolving trends, while ensuring the safety, security, and prosperity of Canada,” said Luke Reimer, a spokesperson for CBSA.
The agency added that valid RABC permits can still be used until they expire. And it’s still accepting applications, it’s just not processing them. The agency does not have a timeline for when processing will resume.
Donny says he finds the lack of clarity around the RABC permits frustrating. Without a timeline, he doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to visit the inn in 2025. And if Donny were to try and cross Saganaga Lake without a valid permit, he could be stopped by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and fined several thousand dollars as well as have his Canadian work permit stripped.
“If we don’t get our border cross permit, we’re probably going to have to call our guests and tell them we’re not going to be open,” he says. “That’s why we’re crossing every T and dotting every I, doing everything by the letter of the law, because we don’t want to give them a reason to not give us a permit.”
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